Dragons Blood series

by The MOUSE

How could a trip that started off so well end up like THIS?????

2. Love's Tests

Disclaimer-I don't own the Quest Team, which is owned and copyrighted by Hanna Barbera. No copyright infringement is intended; this story is created for your reading pleasure only and is not producing any money.

Synopsis : The life and love adventures of Jonny Quest and Jessie Bannon, but after a car accident are thing as real as they seem?

Doug and Mica Sanderson are the sole property of Deborah Kluge. Permission was granted for the use of these characters.

Love's Tests

By Catherine "Mouse" Beaudet

Jonny Quest collapsed on his queen size bed, the mattress caving slightly beneath him. He and Jessie Bannon had just had another of their late night games of tag. This particular game had reminded him of one they had played a year back during a summer rain storm. It was colder now, being early August, but playing tag in the mud was always fun. He lay there for long moments more, listening to the sound of Jessie's shower, and the sudden urge to join her in the shower swept over him. He had a pretty good idea that she wouldn't mind the intrusion. They had gotten pretty close over the past year. Her Father, Race, still didn't know about the extent of their relationship. Jonny had to admit, the though of telling him scared him. He thought of Jessie in the shower and sighed blissfully. He could picture her there, nude, beautiful, but he fought back the urge knowing they had enough to try to explain to their Fathers without adding this fuel to the fire. Jonny suddenly sat up and looked at his pillow. Mud and sand stained the depression his head had left, deciding him to take his turn in the shower when she was done, and he flipped his pillow over to its clean side. That was when he noticed the thick silence. Slipping into his night robe he started for the door when someone suddenly knocked softly. With a puzzled frown he opened the door just a crack. Jessie stood there with a soft smile, her night robe pulled tightly around her, her damp hair hanging around her shoulders in a wet, red mass. His nose picked up the sweet scent of strawberries in the air, from her.

He smiled at her, opening the door wide in invitation. "Jessie...?" His voice was a near whisper.

She leaned her shoulder against the door frame, an almost playful look on her face. "I would've thought you'd have joined me, back there." and she shyly pointed to the bathroom from over her shoulder. Her voice was as soft as his.

He leaned on the same door frame, standing very near her. "Not for lack of wanting, but I figured we have enough explaining to do as it is without adding that to the list."

She giggled softly as she reached up to toy with a rebel lock of his hair. "Right. So, what do we do now?"

"Well, I was going to get cleaned up..." and he pushed himself off the wall.

"While you do that I think I'll stay here and think up a few things to do for when you get back." she added in a playful half whisper just as he stepped out into the hallway.

He stopped in mid-track as a wide grin spread across his face. "On second thought..." he stated and he turned and came back to her.

She fought hard to stifle the laughter that tried to force itself from her throat as he pinned her against the wall, but the bright gleam in her eyes betrayed just how joyfully elated her soul was. He took that as a direct invitation to proceed with what he intended to do. She closed her eyes when his lips touched hers, lightly at first, then with a heated passion. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, holding him close. Then he pulled away and they smiled breathlessly at each other. "Go on." she breathed. "I'll still be here when you get back... if you hurry." She allowed herself a quiet laugh when he suddenly bolted down the hall towards the open bathroom door before she entered his room.

It took him roughly ten minutes to get rid of all the mud and sand on him before returning to his room and by then she had everything set. Jonny's wet hair was slicked back and he clutched his robe tightly around him in an attempt to keep the warmth from the shower with him. He smiled suddenly at a thought. He would be warm enough before the night was over.

When he entered his room he found Jessie lying in his bed, facing the window. She smiled at him from over her shoulder, enticing him over. Then she casually turned her eyes back to the window, at the falling rain hitting the window pane and the occasional distant flash of lightning followed by a gentle roll of thunder. He closed the door behind him, tossed his night robe at the foot of his bed, where hers lay, and climbed in under the covers next to her, pressing close to her warm back. She nestled herself back against him, letting him wrap her in his strong arms, the warmth of his still slightly wet body seeping into her. He pressed his lips to the soft spot behind her ear and was rewarded by feeling her tremble slightly with a silent gasp. She smelled and tasted of strawberries, a flavor he long ago had learned to love. He held her closer suddenly, almost protectively, one of his hands unconsciously grabbing a fistful of her nightshirt at her hip. She noticed his protectiveness.

"What's wrong?" came her questioning whisper.

"Nothing. Just a thought..."

"Share." she urged gently.

He smiled sadly. "I was just thinking back... to Cairo... when..." He stopped suddenly, unable to continue for a moment, and his arms tightened as the painful void threatened to invade his soul at the memory. She knew what he was referring to. She had died from a brutal attack in Cairo, but had managed to fight her way back to life then, and to him. "And then at how many times I came close to losing you." he continued. "Back in the Arctic, in Paris and in California..." He nuzzled her nape as his hands flattened against her stomach. "I still can't bare the thought." he breathed.

Her eyes went wide for a moment at what he said. "Losing me? What about me losing you? The attacks from Surd, Zin, Rage, the incident with the Quest Strain, the plane crash over Brazil, the Dragon's Blood and the relapse of it... I almost lost you so many times that if it ever happened again I'd go nuts." She snuggled back against him, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder, feeling the thin cotton of his T-shirt, and Jonny could see a mixture of sadness, love, and worry on her face and in her eyes. "I don't ever want to lose you." came her softer than soft whisper.

"You won't, so long as I never lose you." He kissed her temple, then suddenly sighed heavily, holding her tight again. There was a different feel to the way he held her this time. "Tell me something, Jess."

His voice was such a low, warm breathed whisper next to her ear that it sent a thrill racing up along her spine. "What?"

"How are we going to explain all this to our Fathers?"

"All what?" she smiled innocently as she lightly rubbed her foot along his shin.

He chuckled and fixed the leg between hers. "You know very well what. This, the incident at the White House, the time when we danced the Bolero and the Mambo, the time in the jungle when Hadji--"

"I remember." Jessie giggled. "We'll explain it the same way we always do. Tell the truth, but..."

He smiled. "I know, I know..."

""Don't volunteer information and no detail."" they said in unison, then laughed quietly.

"They will find out the whole truth someday, though." Jonny continued.

She smiled. "Oh, of course, but I expect that by then there won't be very much they can do to stop us."

"From doing what?" His voice became coy and gruff.

She turned in his arms slightly, just enough to see his smiling face and wrap an arm around his shoulders. She rested her knee against his hip, causing the physical contact they were sharing to become all the more intimate. His blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark. Her smile was shy and sultry at the same time. "I don't know, Jonny, but I'm sure you'll figure something out." came her soft reply.

His trademark grin appeared as he leaned over her, pulling her closer. She could feel herself melt as her heart pounded maddeningly, threatening to explode. "Know what?"

Jessie bit her lower lip as she began to imagine just what pleasant torture he might be planning for her at that very moment in time. "What?" she could barely say so much she was breathless.

He pinned her to the mattress with his own body. She could feel his heartbeat against her chest and the warmth of his whole body blending with hers. "I'm glad it's Saturday." he whispered. She beamed at him, suddenly realizing his intent. His lips gently brushed against hers, a feather like touch, then claimed her lips deeply as he held her ever so tight.

* * *

Somewhere in the house a clock struck 11:00 AM. Jonny slowly opened his eyes and was greeted by a sight that took his breath away. Autumn sunshine was pouring through his window onto the sleeping form next to him. Her red hair glowed with coppers and fires no one could possibly describe. The soft skin of her face had a contented rosy hue. They had held each other tightly all through the night, enjoying the feel of each other's arms. Nothing else had happened. His heart ached sadly at the thought of having to wake her, but he managed a smile when a gentle form of awakening came into his mind. Ever so gently he traced small circles along the edge of her face and down her neck to her night-shirt's collar, slipping beneath the flannel for only a moment to retrieve the half-dollar sized green stone locket beneath her shirt. It had been a gift he had offered her during a visit to Bangalore, India. He knew that one half held a picture of their two families, including her Mother, together but he had never seen what the other picture was. The opportunity to see the other image had never come up. He carefully pried it open and gasped silently. The other picture was of one person; himself. She kept a picture of him next to her heart.

He remembered having posed for that shot a few months back. It had been a few hours before a semi-formal gathering the Quest Team had been invited to. Jessie had snuck up behind him and had startled him. Then she had dared him to pose for a picture for what he thought was her Wall of Fame, a whole wall in her room she had dedicated to pictures of her family and close friends. He, of course, had accepted her dare.

She sighed softly, waking, when he let the locket rest against her throat and her eyes fluttered open, turning to him. Two perfect emeralds smiled at him from beneath long lashes. "The smiles that win..." he breathed, touching her bottom lip with his thumb.

Jessie could feel herself begin to melt again as a pair of flawless sapphires twinkled lovingly at her. No words were needed. An irresistible force pulled them together, their lips meeting. Still locked in the embrace she forced him to his back, straddling his waist and pinning his arms on either side of his head. She explored his mouth at a leisurely pace, driving him half wild from her gentle ministrations. She loved this control she had over him, being the aggressor. After a moment she pulled back to beam down at him. He merely stared up at her with a surprised look etched in his features.

She traced his lips with her finger and giggled. "What's that look for?" she whispered.

He blinked suddenly and grinned. "Wow!" he breathed breathlessly.

"Is that all you can find to say?"

Jonny placed his hands behind his head, the grin becoming sly. "I think that pretty much summed everything up, don't you?"

Jessie chuckled, kissed him again, then got off him to stand. "I better get out of here." She threw on her robe and headed for the door, stopping only for a moment at his dresser to grab one of his black shirts. He frowned a puzzled grin to which she merely winked playfully. "You'll see... But right now, if our Fathers find me here there'll be Hell to pay." He suddenly leapt to his feet, grabbed her waist, and pinned her back against the still closed door. She pressed her palms against his chest to restrain him. "I have to go." she giggled.

"We keep our stories straight, right?"

"Yes. You went out, I heard a noise and thought it was an intruder, I went out, you thought I was an intruder, you tackled me, we fell in the mud, and then we came in. No detail. Pretty much what happened last year."

"Kind of takes out all the fun of the real story without all the detail."

"Don't gripe. After all, we did live that story. Twice." she replied, her voice soft. He sighed, half sad, half reminiscent of last night. She touched his cheek in sympathy and gently kissed his lips. "I'll see you downstairs, okay?"

He nodded and, reluctantly, let her slip out of his arms and out of his room. He quickly got dressed and went out into the hallway. Hadji met him at the top of the stairs. "Hey, Hadj."

"You are positively glowing, my friend. Does this have anything to do with what happened last night before you were caught?"

"Uh... no. More with what happened afterwards."

"Ah, and what did happen?"

"Oh, no you don't. Bad enough Dad and Race'll be grilling me and Jess. You'll just have to wait and hear it when they ask, buddy." They entered the kitchen where Hadji retrieved the morning's newspaper as his adoptive Brother poured himself a glass of orange juice. Jonny suddenly heard Hadji gasp and the newspaper floated to the ground. When he turned he couldn't help the pleasantly surprised smile that spread across his face. Standing in the doorway, wearing identical blue jeans as the ones he was wearing and his black lycra shirt that her perfect figure was gradually stretching, was Jessica Bannon. Her red hair had been so fiercely brushed that it shone as if it were to burst into flames. She walked by a still stunned Hadji, picking up the fallen paper as she went, and went to sit up on the kitchen counter top. Jonny went to stand next to her. "Nice shirt." he stated over the rim of his glass before he took a sip.

She grinned sweetly. "Nice of you to notice." She reached over and took his glass from him, taking a drink from it herself. In response he snatched the newspaper away and stood with his back to her, flipping through the pages. She chuckled and, putting the glass aside, she gripped his shoulders and forced him to lean back against her, wrapping her arms around his torso. "What are you looking for?" she asked, leaning her chin on his shoulder, not able to hide the amused grin at the look Hadji was giving them.

"Entertainment news. What good movies might be playing in town tonight."

She nodded silently and continued to read the paper from over his shoulder. "Wasn't last night enough entertainment for you?" she asked, her voice coy and quiet in his ear so Hadji wouldn't hear.

"Mmm, I'm just looking for a prelude for tonight." he replied on an equal tone and she giggled in understanding.

"How 'bout Don Juan DeMarco?"

"Sounds good. I could pick up a few pointers while I'm at it."

She nuzzled her face to the sensitive spot behind his ear and grinned sweetly. "Not that you need any pointers." she murmured. She was rewarded by feeling a slight tremor shake through him.

Some time later Race and Doctor Quest entered the kitchen. Jessie and Jonny leapt to their feet, awaiting the onslaught of questions. The adults calmly took their seats at the table and regarded the young duo. Doctor Quest's eyebrow shot up when he noticed that they were dressed exactly alike. He wondered what exactly had happened last night, knowing full well there was no way they would tell them the whole truth. Knowing them as he did they would suppress all the details and wouldn't volunteer information unless asked directly. Benton knew something had happened and he silently dreaded it. They grow up so fast... he mused sadly. The two teenagers seemed to squirm from the adults' scrutiny.

"Well, let's have it." Race suddenly ordered, not having noticed his Daughter's new style of dress.

Jonny ran a hand through his hair nervously as Jessie shifted her weight to her other foot, then he began. "Okay... Last night I couldn't sleep. I was on the IRC pretty late when I finally got bored and logged off. I still needed to do something so I went outside for a run."

"That's when I woke up." Jessie continued. "I wasn't sleeping very well, I guess it was the temperature. I heard some noise downstairs and went down to check. I saw someone outside and, thinking it was an intruder, I went out to stop whoever it was before I lost sight of him."

"I saw someone roaming in the woods and ended up tackling this person. We ended up wrestling..."

"... And, at a breather, we realized that we were wrestling each other..."

"... In the mud. Seeing as there was no danger anymore..."

"... We came in to get cleaned up, slipping on the mud on the way..."

"... Which explains all the mud and sand on the walls and floor. And that's when you guys came in." Jonny concluded.

His Father nodded slowly, absorbing the story. "That doesn't explain why you've suddenly taken to dressing alike."

Race had a double take, suddenly taking notice of how the two teenagers were dressed. His face registered the dread at the prospect of what was happening between the two, the expression souring when the thought of where she got the shirt entered his thoughts. He began to open his mouth to comment.

"Coincidence." Jessie replied quickly before Jonny could react and before her Father could say a thing. Jonny smiled inwardly, noticing how she conveniently neglected to mention where she had originally gotten the shirt.

A tense, long moment went by, as the adults weighed the answers they had received, before Benton finally leaned back in his chair. "Well, then, you'll clean up the mess you two made last night before you can even think about going into town. I don't want a trace of mud or sand left in that hallway. Go to it."

""Yes, Sir."" and they left the kitchen, taking whatever cleaning supplies they would need with them.

"That went relatively well." Jonny muttered.

* * *

They finished cleaning the mansion entrance way by sundown and by then they were far too tired to catch a movie in town. It had taken longer than they had expected to clean away the dried mud in the carpet and on the walls. As the last of the sun's rays dipped beneath the horizon, Jonny had a warm fire blazing in the Family Room's fireplace. Since the storm the temperature had continually dropped. There would be frost on the ground in the morning. Leaves had already begun falling off the trees. Jessie was returning the cleaning supplies to their proper places in the kitchen. Jonny's Father, Race, and Hadji had been in the Lighthouse the rest of the day. By the sounds of things they would remain there late into the night thanks to a new invention that was giving them trouble and which the military scientific community were waiting for impatiently. With a tired sigh Jonny let himself drop into one of the more comfortable, reclining sofa chairs then suddenly stiffened. Something had been stuffed under the seat. Reaching under the cushion he pulled out a large leather bound book. He recognized this book. It had been his Mother's favorite book of old poetry. He looked up at her painting above the fireplace, smiled sadly, and opened the book at random, bringing a wash of memories from the scent of the book. A dried out, flattened magnolia was pressed between the first pages, his Mother's favorite flower, and his Father had long ago written a dedication to her on the inside cover.

"You're grinning as if in a daydream. What do you have there?" came a soft voice from the door, moving closer.

He looked up to see Jessie standing next to his chair, a wide grin on her face. "Hey, Jess. It's just something Mom used to read. And, for your information, yes, I was daydreaming." He then grinned impishly, looking deep into her eyes. "Or am I still dreaming?"

She chuckled. "You speaketh with a silver tongue, sir." She then looked at the pages and smiled. "Poetry. Huh, Mrs. Quest was cultured and beautiful."

"That was Mom." he sighed.

"Move over." Jessie crawled into the chair he was in, snuggling close to his side as she held him around his chest, her legs across his lap. He draped an arm around her shoulders and reclined the chair back for added comfort for them both. He had to admit, this was a cozy situation. It was a good thing their Fathers weren't here to see them. "Read something." she stated gently, opening the book for him.

He chuckled and gently kissed her cheekbone, his lips lingering against her skin a moment longer. "Okay. Let's see here..." He flipped through the pages and then suddenly settled on one with a playful grin. She couldn't quite see the title. "First Love by John Clare." he read out loud for her.

She giggled innocently as she laid her cheek on his shoulder. "Oh, how appropriate." Her voice held a playful tinge of sarcasm. He held her closer, his arm slipping around her waist to hold her and the book, and began to read.

"I ne'er was struck before that hour

With love so sudden and so sweet,

Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower

And stole my heart away complete.

My face turned pale as deadly pale,

My legs refused to walk away,

And when she looked, what could I ail?

My life and all seemed turned to clay.

And then my blood rushed to my face

And took my eyesight quite away,

The trees and bushes round the place

Seemed midnight at noonday.

I could not see a single thing,

Words from my eyes did start--

They spoke as chords do from the string,

And blood burnt round my heart.

Are flowers the winter's choice?

Is love's bed always snow?

She seemed to hear my silent voice,

Not love's appeals to know.

I never saw so sweet a face

As that I stood before.

My heart has left its dwelling-place

And can return no more."

Her eyes had closed when he read. His voice was soft, with a gruff edge she picked up and liked. It made her shiver involuntarily. She was in her own little world at that moment in time. When he finished she turned her green eyes up to his face, her fingers gently tracing his jaw line. So many times she had lost herself in his eyes. It was then she realized just how much she truly cared for him. "My turn." she whispered. She turned a few pages before finding one she liked.

"The red rose whispers of passion,

And the white rose breathes of love;

O, the red rose is a falcon,

And the white rose is a dove.

But I send you a cream-white rosebud

With a flush upon its petal tips;

For the love that is purest and sweetest

Has a kiss of desire on the lips."

His lopsided, trademark grin appeared as he listened to her silk soft voice, then he turned to look down at her. Her lashed veiled her eyes, hiding their bright emerald depths from his sight. "Could that be considered a hint of some sort?" His low voice held an almost playful tone.

She grinned impishly, trying not to look up at him for fear of drowning in the blue of his eyes. "Maybe." she replied shyly. Jonny chuckled and turned the pages, finding another poem.

"She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o'er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express

How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent!"

As he read she toyed with the pendant she had given him shortly before the Dragon's Blood incident in India. Jessie carefully opened it and saw a picture of his Mother, then noticed the other image. Her eyes went wide. The other person he carried close to his heart was her. She remembered having posed for that shot, he had called it payment for having startled and then dared him to pose himself.

Her heart suddenly pounded harder as she realized how much he truly cared for her. She snuggled closer to him at this and sighed blissfully, returning her attention to the poem. "I always did like Lord Byron's poems." Then she thought a moment with a slight smile. "Is that what you meant this morning when you said, 'The smiles that win'?"

His blue eyes twinkled dreamily at her in the flickering fire light before he placed a tender, lingering kiss on her temple as his hand moved to play with a lock of her long, fiery hair. It wasn't verbal, but it was enough of an answer for her.

She smiled and turned a page.

"O, were I loved as I desire to be!

What is there in the great sphere of the earth,

Or range of evil between death and birth,

That I should fear, -- if I were loved by thee?

All the inner, all the outer world of pain,

Clear love would pierce and cleave, if thou wert mine;

As I have heard that somewhere in the main

Fresh-water springs come up through bitter brine.

'T were joy, not fear, clasped hand in hand with thee,

To want for death - mute - careless of all ills,

Apart upon a mountain, though the surge

Of some new deluge from a thousand hills

Flung leagues of roaring foam into the gorge

Below us, as far on as eye could see."

Jessie felt him shudder suddenly as his arm tightened around her shoulders, joined by his other arm to hold her close. She laid her cheek flat against his chest and listened to the sounds of his heart beating. She heard his breath shudder silently. "What's wrong, Jonny?" came her soft inquiry.

"That last poem... It's just... It reminded me of the time we were in California."

A look of horror past over her face as she backed up, a hand covering her mouth. "Oh, God! Jonny, I'm so sorry--"

He quickly silenced her by placing a finger on her lips. "Shh, Jessie." and then claimed her lips ever so tenderly to silence her further. She succumbed and banished her previous thoughts from her mind. Then, releasing her, he looked deep into her eyes. "You can't help what happened back then. There's always going to be something that'll remind me, or you, of that incident."

Jessie smiled sadly, lowering her eyes in defeat as his hands found her waist. "It's just... I care about you a lot, and I hurt you so much over the years when I never really wanted to..."

He knew how hard it was for her to say this. In the little time that their relationship had bloomed they had rarely if ever told each other their true feeling. I love you, were rare words.

He pulled her into his arms, stroking her head as it rested on his shoulder. "Comes with the territory, Lovely Lady. Look..." and, still holding her close, he opened the book to where the magnolia lay pressed. He carefully moved it aside to reveal Doctor Quest's carefully scripted writing. "He wrote this to Mom when they had just started dating:

'Love. It can make you feel the greatest joy and the deepest pain. It can bring a smile to your face or tears to your eyes. Love leads you on a journey of discovery, to places you never imagined. It can possess you and make you powerless to deny its existence. Touched by love, your life will change forever. How could I ever have known that I would fall in love so deeply, so painfully, with the one woman who could make me feel free and alive. From the first moment we kissed, my heart and soul belonged to her, and hers to me. Poets and wordsmiths through the ages have told the tale of the power of love shared, the joy of its passion and the pain of yearning when true love is denied.'"

As he read, Jessie felt an electric thrill race up her spine. He had read the words as if they had been his own, seemingly putting his heart and emotions behind each and every word. He paused for a moment. "Pain is unavoidable, Dad knew it."

"Your Dad was a poet... and in love."

Jonny looked up to the painting of his Mother above the fireplace. She wore a powder blue dress that nearly matched the piercing blue of her eyes. The artist had captured the gold of her hair and every loving and tender light that he remembered shining in his Mother's face. "Can you blame him?"

She followed his gaze. "No, I guess not." she answered after a moment. "She was so beautiful, like an angel. I'm sorry."

He shrugged and smiled at a sudden thought. "I hope the man upstairs isn't mad at me,... 'cause I have one of his angels and she's here with me..." he sang softly.

She tapped his chest with a giggle. "Smooth talker." she accused sweetly. Then the front entrance doorbell rang through the house. "Who could that be at this hour?" she wondered aloud as he moved towards the hall.

He shrugged as he got to his feet, went to the door, and opened it. A little raven tressed girl jumped into his arms, hugging him so tight he could barely breath. He pushed her away and suddenly recognized the face. "Mica!?" He then thought to look up and saw Doug Sanderson standing there with a wide, anxious grin. Doug had been the organizer of a camp for troubled children, children who needed time away from home to build character and definition. Jessie and Jonny had volunteered one summer two years ago to help him out which resulted in their being trapped in California during an earthquake and flood, away from civilization. He had several bags in his arms. "Doug! What's up?"

"I have to go into Montreal tonight on business. I can't take Mica with me on this one and I was hoping...?"

Jonny dismissed the rest of the sentence with a wave of his hand. "Sure, we'll take her." he assured.

"You sure your Dad won't mind, Jonny?"

"Nah, Dad likes Mica. Don't worry about it."

"You know you're a life saver, kiddo?" and he deposited the bags in the hall and headed back to his car.

"So I'm told." Jonny had followed him, Mica was still in his arms.

"I'll be back sometime tomorrow night."

"Okay. See you then."

And, with a final wave at his Daughter, Doug drove off. Jonny put Mica on the ground and signaled the five year old child to be extremely silent as he led her towards the family room. He motioned for her to stay in the shadows. He stepped into the doorway.

"Who was that?" Jessie asked, looking up from the book.

"A guest." and he beckoned to the little girl.

This one ran out from around the corner and jumped into Jessie's lap. "Jessie!" she cried joyfully.

Surprised at first, Jessie happily wrapped the small form in her arms. "Mica! What are you doing here?" she laughed as Mica tugged at her hair.

"Daddy had to go on a trip so he said I could stay here with you and Jonny."

"I'm very happy to hear it." As the two laughed Jonny went off to one of the bookcases and pulled a battered old book from the shelf. Jessie could see the title as he walked back to them. It was a book of children's literature. She smiled. "Another of your Mom's favorite books?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Sort of. She used to read something from this one every night. Scoot over." She did so, allowing him to sit in the chair, then leaned back against him comfortably. Mica shifted so she sat across both their laps, also leaning on Jonny. He sighed. "I must have done something right to have two lovely angels like this." he quipped. Jessie turned and ever so gently kissed his lips. Little Mica sat up, seeing this, and gave Jonny a big, sloppy kiss on his cheek. This caused Jessie to laugh, mostly from Jonny's bewildered expression. "What did you do that for?"

"Jessie did it."

He laughed. "Monkey see, monkey do, right?" Mica nodded with a giggle. "Alright, then. So, Mica, what story do you want to hear?" he asked when he recovered.

"Sleeping Beauty!" the little girl exclaimed.

He looked down at Jessie. "Why is it they all want to hear that one."

"All little girls dream of their Prince to come and save them. I found mine." and she caressed his cheek.

He chuckled. "You want to read it, or do I?"

"Oh, you read it. You have the voice for it." she pleaded with doe eyes.

His smile became dreamy. "Never could resist those eyes."

"I know." she admitted playfully.

* * *

"I swear, Benton, if that thing had malfunctioned one more time I would have personally thrown it out the window." Race grumbled as he, Doctor Quest, and Hadji entered the house.

"I would've probably joined you in that endeavor, Race. Hadji, why don't you go off to bed. You look exhausted." Hadji left without question.

"Hey, Doc, were you expecting company?" the ex-Covert Operations Officer pointed out, showing the bags next to the door.

"No, I..." He passed the entrance to the family room and suddenly stopped. "Oh, my!" he breathed.

"What?" and he joined him in the door. In a reclined chair was a grinning Jonny, looking very content. Jessie was snuggled in his arms, a dreamy look in her eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. And, wrapped in both their arms, was a small black haired girl who was presently dozing ever so peacefully against Jonny's chest and whom Jessie was gently stroking her long black hair. "Ponchita?"

Jessie looked up at the two adults and placed a finger to her lips to silence them. "Shh. She's asleep." Race pointed to the girl with a puzzled look etched into his features. "Michaela Sanderson."

"What's she doing here?" he whispered.

"Doug asked us to watch her while he was in Montreal. He'll be back tomorrow night." Jonny whispered back.

"I'll take her to the guest room." Jessie told him. They got to their feet and he gently handed Mica's sleeping form over to her. Both Race and Benton were shocked at how parental they acted towards the small child. As he watched Benton wondered sadly if he was seeing a tiny hint of both teens future as parents of their own children. Mica whined at the shifting and came awake slightly. "Shh, Mica, it's okay. Go back to sleep. I'll sing to you, okay?" The little girl nodded tiredly and closed her eyes, sucking her thumb as she once again began to doze off to sleep.

"I'll bring her stuff up to you in a bit."

Jessie nodded at him and walked off, cradling the small child close to herself. She slowly climbed the stairs, careful as not to wake the sleeping child, able to hear their Fathers and Jonny talking in the Family Room. She thought she heard one of them, probably her Father, question him what all three of them had been doing in the same chair in the first place, but she quickly dismissed the thought as she reached the second floor. She entered one of the many guest rooms and comfortably set Mica on the bed after managing to turn down the covers with a free arm. She hoped the blankets on the bed were warm enough. There was a thin cotton blanket, a slightly thicker wool blanket, and a thick comforter. Mica shifted to get comfortable, her tiny eyes opening to look up at Jessie. Something came alive in Jessie, an almost Motherly instinct, at the way Mica stared up at her. It surprised her. For a second, a corner of her mind wondered what Jonny's reaction might have been to this given situation.

"Sing me a song, Jessie." little Mica mumbled in a tiny voice that made Jessie's heart feel warm.

Jessie just smiled.

"Listen to the song he sings

Can't you see his music brings her

Crystal sleep

As her heavy eyelids fall

He's taking her to where the dolls rule the world

And in that land of make believe

Is where he'll leave her sleeping

Softly warm

In a crystal lullaby

He's weaving her a paper castle

Where dancing clowns with tassels made of fur

Welcome her into their world

That lives inside the dreams

Of every little girl

She's guarded by a brave tin soldier

Sitting on her shoulder

Taken there

In a crystal lullaby

Sometimes when I listen to

The velvet song that fills a summer afternoon

Something deep within me sighs

And wishes for the peaceful skies of long ago

That wrapped my cares

In silver air

And carried them away

Leaving me

And a crystal lullaby

And a crystal lullaby"

When Jessie looked down again she found Mica sleeping soundly, sucking at her thumb. She looked so tiny, so peaceful, without a care in the world. Jessie kind of wished she was that age again as she carefully brushed a stray strand out of the child's face, careful not to wake her. "I remember that song." came a soft voice from the door. Jonny was there, setting the bags down at the foot of the bed.

She smirked. "I especially remember the conversation we had afterwards, each other's thoughts about kids and each other."

"Hey, we learned of few things about each other."

"True, but we had to dig to find the real meanings. Everything we said had been so cloak and dagger."

He shrugged. "We make mistakes we regret after. Should we put her in her PJ's?"

"No, she's already asleep. No sense waking her up again for that." She removed the sleeping child's small shoes, covered her with the blankets, and then just stared down at her with a strange smile on her face, unable to bring herself to leave.

He saw the smile and came over to take her shoulders, giving them a tender squeeze. "You okay?"

"Yes. I'm just day dreaming."

"Let me guess: You with a kid of your own." She smiled shyly and he chuckled. "C'mon, Mommy, let her sleep." and he led her out the door, closing it behind him. "So how often do you end up thinking about stuff like that?"

"At least once a day. I can't help it... Everyone our age we know have kids and--"

"Jess." His tone held a warning.

"I know." She sighed heavily and a slight smile appeared on her lips. "I guess, for now, the closest I'll ever get to being a Mother is being with Mica."

He leaned back on the wall, lacing his fingers with hers to pull her towards him. "But, the other way can be arranged." he stated playfully.

She giggled softly and tenderly pressed her lips to his as he brought their hands to rest on the small of her back. She snuggled her face to the side of his neck, picking up a hint of his aftershave. "Would have made a Hell of a Birthday present for you a few days ago. But, not for a while yet. Someday." she added. Jessie felt him nod in understanding, his arms tightening around her. With a silent sigh she placed a kiss on the side of his neck, gently nuzzling that spot with her face. "What did I ever do to deserve someone as great as you, so understanding and patient about all this?" she breathed.

"I've been asking myself the same question about you every day for the last two years."

She smirked. "Cliché."

He shrugged. "If it fits..."

* * *

Morning came quickly with its frigid air and golden Autumn light. Hadji had risen early, deciding to get a head start on raking up the fallen leaves. As the sun steadily crept higher in the sky he had managed to collect a sizeable pile in one of the Quest Compound's many clearings. He gave one more sweep of the rake just as he began to hear a dog barking and the shrieking of a little child. Hadji looked up in time to see his neat pile of leaves suddenly explode in all directions. In the center of the chaos he saw a tiny raven haired girl laughing playfully. Bandit, Jonny's pet Bull Terrier, ran in circles around them both. Short moments later both Jonny and Jessie came running into the clearing to find their friend smiling patiently down at the child who had caused such a mess of his work. They looked genuinely apologetic towards him.

"Sorry about that, Hadj." Jonny stated.

"That is quite alright, my friend. I was presently debating what to do with the piles when I had finished. Her idea seems to be the easiest, if not more amusing, of all the ones I found." and Mica threw a armful of leaves up at him. His smile became mischievous as he dropped down on one knee and tossed leaves back at her. This went on for a few seconds more before she finally shrieked and threw her arms around Hadji's neck. He stood up with her in his arms.

"Looks like you passed her test, Hadji." Jessie chuckled.

"Test?"

"Jessie and I went through it the first time we met her. Mica can read a person's personality at ten feet."

Hadji turned to the child. "So, your name is Mica. That is a very pretty name. I am Hadji."

"Had-ji." she giggled experimentally. She then wriggled out of his arms, grabbing an armful of leaves, and ran up to where Jessie and Jonny stood. Without any warning she threw the leaves at them and ran back to the pile. "Play!" she laughed.

The duo were still picking leaves away from their faces before turning to the child, playful mischief in their eyes. "Oh, you're gonna get it now." Jonny's voice was low, but the merry gleam in his eye had moved to inhabit his tone. They charged at the child, attacking with a flurry of flying leaves.

Hadji looked down at Bandit who merely sat watching the action, tongue lolling out and tail wagging. "It seems we are the two sane ones here, Bandit." He turned back to the romping trio who were presently engaged in a vicious leaf battle. He shook his head sadly. "Come, I will fix us something to eat while they play." The dog barked in understanding and trotted along behind the young Indian man.

With Mica's help Jessie pinned Jonny on his back and dumped an armful of leaves in his face. He struggled against Jessie's grip until Mica climbed onto his chest. He raised her up in the air, holding her above himself. "Who's side are you on, anyway, you little imp?"

"The one that's more fun." the little girl replied.

"Traitor!" he laughed. When he put her down again she took off at a run after a raccoon that had showed itself. Jessie kneeled behind him. Jonny watched Mica go with a shake of his head. "Where does she get that energy?"

"I have no idea. Too bad it's not catching."

"Might be." He turned quickly, grabbing her arms, and flipped her over him to pin her on her back in the pile of leaves. "What say we find out." She laughed as she mock struggled against his grip, then she smiled at something just past his shoulder. A huge amount of leaves fell, nearly burying them both. They shot to their feet and began chasing the girl around the Compound.

* * *

It was September 17th, almost 11:00 PM. Jessie walked down the dark street, holding her thin jacket tight around herself in an attempt to keep out the cold. She had just left her friends at the coffee shop, heading back to the movie theater where her ride would be waiting. Silently she chided herself for wearing the outfit she had on, a simple green velvet dress with a light black vest, but she had so few opportunities to wear it. She knew she should have worn a jacket to block out this cold, but it had been so warm earlier that she had opted against the idea.

Hanging out with her girlfriends was fun on occasion, but right now she was in the mood for different company, company of the male persuasion. As far as she could tell she was alone on this street. Her inch high boot heels clicked on the sidewalk in a regular rhythm.

Then another sound caught her ear. Another set of footfall, behind her. Slight fear crept up her spine. She quickened her pace and the footsteps quickened as well. Jessie took a left turn, they followed. Then a right. Still they followed. Panic sprang up in her as she began to run. Turning another corner, her heart pounding madly, she ran into a leather jacket covered chest. A pair of arms closed around her as she tried to back away. Finally she looked up into a smiling face with gleaming blue eyes she recognized easily. She sighed in utter relief.

"Hey, there, Jessie." Jonny Quest greeted, slightly confused.

"Oh, thank God, Jonny." and she pressed herself into his warm arms gratefully, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He cradled her body close to himself, confused and worried by her actions. "What's wrong?" he demanded, peering into her calming features.

The concern on his face was comforting to her. "I'm not sure. I heard footsteps behind me. Call me paranoid, but I think someone was following me."

He smirked. "Okay, you're paranoid." She laughed, relaxing further. "Wait here." Casually he walked out from around the corner and saw only one person, dressed in dark clothing, leaning against a wall not far away. He recognized this person immediately. It was Craig Waller, a snobby and rich Quarterback, at Rockport High School, who was still chasing after Jessie's affections. "Kind of late to just be hanging out alone, Craig." he greeted suspiciously.

Craig seemed slightly surprised, but hid it quickly. "Not when you've seen the cutest little thing on the face of the Earth. Lost track of her." he stated.

"Yeah? What's she look like, maybe I can help you find her."

"Sweetest thing wearing a hot little green dress and a black vest."

Jonny frowned, suddenly furious. "Bastard!" he hissed, throwing a hard punch to Craig's stomach and then knocking him to the ground.

Craig struggled to regain his breath, looking up at Jonny in confusion. "What'd you do that for?" he wheezed. Jessie stepped out from around the corner to take Jonny's arm in restraint. Craig's face dropped as he realized the description he had given matched exactly what she was wearing. "Oh, man." he muttered. He had been caught.

"That was a warning, Craig. If I so much as hear of another incident like this or if she says she doesn't feel safe walking alone anymore, I'll come looking for you. And I don't care if it's not you doing the stalking because I'll know you're behind it. I'll hunt you down for as long as it takes." Then, putting his arm around Jessie's shoulders, he led her back to his black Kawasaki motorcycle. From the compartment under the seat he pulled out an extra helmet and her bomber jacket, the latter of which he helped her put on.

"You know I don't like this shrinking violet treatment." she told him.

"I know, just like you know I have the white knight syndrome. Can't help it, I care too much."

"I know." She placed a hand on his helmet to keep him from putting it on just yet. "I appreciate it, though."

Craig watched from the corner, seething as he saw her touch Jonny's cheek and draw him into a loving kiss. Then they both climbed onto the bike and sped off into the September night.

* * *

October came and with it the Indian Summer. At Rockport High School, day was progressing like usual. It was Second Period and both Jonny Quest and Jessie Bannon were in the only class they shared, History. Since they started high school they had always been in the same History class. This was their second to last year at Rockport High. Class ended and everyone filed out. Jessie waited for her friend by the door where, when he reached her, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "So what's your next class?" she asked over the sound of the crowd, holding him around his waist.

A few other students waved at them and he waved back. "Spare. My next two classes were canceled. Ms. Kenneli's on sick leave and Mr. Tedgewick's wife is in the hospital giving birth. I think they're having triplets."

"Ouch. Good luck to them. Cafeteria?"

"Sure, but don't you have Physics?" and they began walking.

"Not when the flu bug runs rampant. My next two classes were canceled too."

A sly smile crossed his face. "Three and a half hours before we can go home. Whatever shall we do?"

"Maybe figure out what we'll wear on Friday."

Friday was October thirtieth, the day before Halloween, and the day of the Halloween Dance. They entered the nearly empty cafeteria and sat at a secluded table in a corner, sitting close to each other's side. "I actually have a great idea for that. Who do we resemble the most?"

"I... don't quite follow you."

"Oh, come now, dear Lady Caroline."

Her face brightened, suddenly understanding him. "Jonny, that perfect!"

"I thought so. Dad has some stuff in the attic that could work for our costumes."

She leaned on his shoulder, giving his cheek a quick peck. As they discussed details for Friday Jessie glanced around the cafeteria. This room would be transformed in three days time for the Halloween dance at which point it would be closed. At the door she caught sight of who was termed the School's Beauty Queen, Maya Vernessa. She wore a loose fitting, silk white blouse, a tight, leather mini skirt, sheer tights and high heels. Her corn silk hair was brushed elegantly down her back. Then she turned, frowned at Jessie, but began walking towards them as she noticed it was Jonny she was sitting with. "Uh, oh." Jessie muttered.

"What?" he asked her.

"Maya just walked in."

"So?"

"You haven't heard the latest skinny, have you?" He gave her a puzzled frown in response. "She thinks you're just yummy." she smiled.

"What!?"

She leaned back in her chair with a short laugh. "It's all over the school. She's set her sights on you and she's packing a nuclear warhead missile launcher with a heat seeker. She won't back down until she gets you."

His head dropped down to the table with a thud. "She's the world's biggest snob! Somebody help me." he moaned as she chuckled.

"Don't look now, but she's heading this way."

He snapped upright, turning to grab Jessie's hands. "Save me, please, and I'll be your slave for life, Jess."

"You already are." she chuckled as Maya kept coming purposefully towards them. Then she sighed blissfully, losing herself in his eyes. "I never could resist those baby blues."

He smiled and felt himself drowning in the emerald green of her bright eyes. "You're a lifesaver, Beautiful."

She shrugged and again leaned on his shoulder. "I try."

Maya walked up to them, sat sultrily on the edge of the table to reveal as much leg as possible to Jonny, and gave him a sweet smile. "Jonny, what are you doing here all by your lonesome?" she purred.

"I'm with Jessie." he replied curtly, not looking at Maya. He was too engrossed in Jessie's eyes to notice anything else.

"Oh! Hello, Bannon." Icicles could have hung from her words.

Man, if tone of voice could kill. "Hi, Maya. Jonny and I were just talking about the dance on Friday." She, too, had not left Jonny's eyes.

"Really, what a coincidence! Jonny, I was just going to ask you if you were going to the dance and had a date for Friday, if not--"

"Jessie and I are going together." he cut off, still lost in Jessie's eyes.

Maya looked taken back as she got to her feet and Jessie couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips. No one ever said no to Maya Vernessa. It was rumored that all the men in the male related sports belonged to her, except Jonny Quest. He was the only one to have ever said no, repeatedly, to her advances. His reason had been that Maya was just too perky, too sluttish, to go out with. Besides, he was steadily working up his courage to ask Jessie out. In some perverse way Maya found his rejections extremely... arousing. Maya shook herself out of her momentary shock. She wasn't going to give up so easily. "I don't believe you. Giving up the chance to go as my date to go with her?"

Jonny reluctantly pulled away from the emerald depths of Jessie's eyes, gave Maya a suffering stare, and tenderly cupped Jessie's chin in his hand. "Maya, get a clue." and he claimed Jessie's lips in a gentle embrace. It had been intended just to get Maya uninterested in him, but he completely lost himself in the feel of the kiss. Jessie's hand found his cheek, caressing it gently. He pulled away and looked deep into her eyes. "You've had M&Ms." he quipped, just loud enough for Maya to hear.

Jessie giggled in understanding. "And you've had licorice." and he chuckled.

He looked up at a stunned Maya as Jessie nuzzled his ear. "You still here?" he stated coldly. He had to clear his throat before saying this, still under the kiss's influence.

She looked as if she was struggling for some sort of come-back line, but Jessie's cruel sense of humor beat her to it. "I believe she was just leaving." and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Maya, stunned for a moment, made a dejected sound and walked briskly away. The duo couldn't help but laugh hysterically, doubling over breathlessly. "That look was priceless. Oh, I wish I had a picture."

They laughed for long moments more before finally sobering. "So," he struggled. "Exactly what kind of slave do you need?"

"Mmm, I don't know." She wrapped her arms around his neck lovingly once again. "I think a love slave would do nicely." she murmured.

"I think I can do that." he smiled. Their lips met again and the whole world around them melted away into a hazy mist.

"You two ever coming up for air?" came a sudden voice through the haze.

They pulled apart rather quickly and turned to the voice. A frizzy haired, brown eyed girl, dressed in an outfit that should have been reserved for Halloween, smiled slyly at them from across the table. "Didn't think we had an audience, Crysta." Jonny muttered with a grin.

"One person hardly counts as an audience, Blondie." she replied. "What happened, the flirting got out of hand?"

Jessie giggled. "You could say that."

"It started two years back, but we only really got together two months ago. Crys, you know how insomniac I can be sometimes, right?" Jonny began.

"I remember you telling me to explain the lines under those baby blues, yeah."

"Well, about two months ago it happened again. Spending time on the IRC wasn't helping so I went out for a jog around the Compound."

"At 1:30 in the morning." Jessie added. "I heard the noise and went out. Before I knew it I was being tackled in the mud."

"I didn't see it was you. I'm making up for it."

She nuzzled his cheek lovingly. "You certainly are." she almost purred.

He chuckled, leaning into her arms. "Anyway, to make a long story short; we ended up playing a game of mud tag, that got out of hand, and, well..."

"Kismet." Jessie concluded.

Crysta couldn't hide the pleasantly surprised look that spread across her face. "So, it's finally gotten serious between you two?"

"What do you mean, finally?" he demanded.

"Exactly what I said. Finally. Look, only total morons or infatuated dimwits haven't noticed how much of an item you two are. I mean, is there really anyone that dumb left in the school?"

Jonny answered with a question. "You didn't see what happened a little while ago, did you?" he grinned.

"No, what?"

Jessie could barely contain her laughter as the scene replayed in her mind. "Jonny turned down Maya Vernessa."

"Get out! Oh, man, I would've killed to see the look on her face."

"It was priceless, pure gold."

"And I missed it! Arrgh!" and she put her head down in mock anguish only to raise it again suddenly. "Guess there are dumb people left. What are you two wearing for the dance, to change subject here?"

Jessie laughed at her abruptness. "Do you know the legend of Lady Caroline Mornay and Jean Leger?"

"High society lady takes a flying leap from a Widow's Walk 'cause her fiancé drowned at sea. Yeah, I know it."

"That's not how it happened." Jonny corrected. "Jean Leger didn't drown at sea. Lady Caroline drowned him in a pond."

"What? Why?"

"She found a letter he wrote to a mainland shop girl named Marie." Jessie explained. "In a fit of jealous rage she killed him, but his ghost began haunting her. He even went so far as to push her off the Widow's Walk out of revenge. They went on, reliving their last moments, for the past two hundred years."

"Wait a minute, this is completely different than the official story. Where'd you get this version?"

Jessie and Jonny turned their heads slightly to smile at each other in a knowing manner. Jonny chuckled at the vivid memory. "You could say we got first hand experience."

Crysta still looked puzzled. "I still don't get it."

Jessie sighed heavily. "Your next two classes are spares, right?" Crysta nodded and Jessie turned to Jonny. "Taking her to Mornay House would explain everything."

He was already getting to his feet. "I'm up for it. Maybe we'll get more ideas for our costumes." All three walked out of the school to the sleek, black Viper GTX waiting in the student parking lot. Jonny was driving. A few minutes of ice smooth driving later they arrived at a Colonial-style manor house surrounded by a fairly large yard inside a wrought iron fence and gate. Beautifully ornate corniches and wooden terrace banisters decorated the exterior of the house. The first floor was lined with large bay windows, the second had ornate circular windows. Everything was painted a brilliant white. They got out of the car, Jonny coming to stand by Jessie's side. "Déjà vu." he voiced softly, staring at the house.

She nodded. "A lot of good memories here." she added and the three began walking towards the front door. A small bell jingled above it as the entered, signaling the caretaker that the house had visitors. This one walked into view and caused both Jessie and Jonny to smile, pleasantly surprised. "Doug Sanderson? What're you doing here?"

He smiled happily at them. "I run this place in the winter. Mica's in school now so I needed something to keep me busy during the day. And you three?"

"We're trying to explain to Crysta Robertson, here, a new version of the Mornay/Leger legend." Jonny replied.

"Your own speculation?" he asked as he led them towards the house's drawing room.

"Not exactly. More like, the real story as lived by Lady Caroline and Jean Leger."

They entered the drawing room to find a fire blazing brightly in the stone fireplace. Doug looked around the Victorian furnished room and frowned in confusion. "I never lit the fire in this room." he voiced.

Jonny looked perplexed at this. "Is there anyone else here with you?"

"No... well, except them." and he pointed to a large oil painting above the fireplace.

The painting, framed in mahogany wood, was of a young couple wrapped lovingly in each other's arms. The woman wore an elegant, yet simple, dress of powder grey with a high white lace collar, decorated by a Camée, and white lace cuffs. Her long red hair hung down the length of her back. The man wore a light brown suit of the Eighteenth Century with silk ruffles at his collar, held by a ruby broach, and silk ruffles at his cuffs. His blond hair seemed to glow from an unseen light. His arms were wrapped around the woman's waist, and a large engraved signet ring was on his right hand. Leger was what could be read. They looked young, roughly in their late teens, and made a handsome couple. A pair of blue eyes and a pair of green eyes seemed to bore through the souls of those in the room.

Crysta and Doug's eyes flashed from the painting to the young duo next to them and back in surprised, rapid succession. There was no mistaking the resemblance.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." Doug muttered softly.

"Blondie, Chica, it's... it's you!"

They merely shrugged a smile.

"How long have you two known about this?"

"It's been two years. Kind of ran into some confused souls." Jonny answered.

Doug frowned, obviously intrigued. "Please, explain."

"Alright, but everything said here stays here. Hadji's the only other person who knows about all this because he was there. Our Dads don't even know."

"And we'd like to keep it that way for a while yet." Jessie added.

"Hey, you two know the worth of my word." Crysta stated.

"Secret sworn to my grave." Doug added.

Jonny nodded and went to stand next to the fireplace as Jessie sat in a nearby chair. He took a moment to collect his thoughts and turned to his friends. "About two years back Hadji, Jess, and I took a trip up to Nova Scotia in the Questor II, Dad's new ship. In the Bay of Fundy we hit a pretty heavy patch of fog where we hit some rocks. The nav computers were all down and we sustained minor damage."

"That's where we met Paul Mornay." Jessie continued. "He welcomed us on the island and into his home and explained that the island we were on was haunted by two spirits, Lady Caroline and Jean Leger. For the time we were there we saw the ghost of Ruby, her kitten, and the ghost of Lady Caroline throw herself from the Widow's Walk twice. And I saw the ghost of Jean Leger in a nearby pond when I was chasing Bandit. We decided we would try to record the happenings for Doctor Quest and that's when things started to happen."

Crysta had seated herself on the floor, listening in avid attention. "What things?" she asked.

"I found, with Lady Caroline's help, some letters Jean Leger had written her from the mainland. I remember seeing a bright flash and then I wasn't in control of myself anymore. I was Lady Caroline and I was running for the Widow's Walk, screaming in fear."

"I got to her before she could jump off, but I guess the sight of me spooked Lady Caroline. She called me Jean and ran off. Hadji and I had no idea that this wasn't Jessie anymore until we saw the tape. We could clearly see Lady Caroline's form surrounding her. We also found the letters and I guess I'd stuck one in my pocket without noticing. We lost sight of her at about that time. Hadji found a portrait of Jean Leger in what was the house's studio and showed it to us. I got to admit the resemblance still spooks me. We split up to find Jessie before she could go back to the Widow's Walk. I followed Bandit to a pond where she showed up, accusing me as if I were Jean. Turns out the letter I had grabbed was addressed to Marie, a mainland shop girl. Hoping to calm her down I did what I hoped Jean would do, I denied everything."

"But Lady Caroline was jealous. She forced me to lunge at him, we fought, and ended up in the pond where she tried to get me to drown him. If Hadji hadn't shown up I probably would have. That's what happened two hundred years ago. She drowned him. Hadji pulled Jonny towards the shore just in time to see the ghost of Jean Leger come up from the pond. He possessed Jonny and we continued to fight as Lady Caroline and Jean Leger. Hadji tried to reason with us, along with Paul Mornay. At first Caroline forced me to turn away, so Jonny..." She shook her head. "... Jean walked away. I could feel a great guilt in Lady Caroline's spirit, so suddenly, and she got me to stop him, turning him around to face her."

"She explained that she'd been insanely jealous because she loved him so much, and still did. Using us they asked forgiveness of each other. Then they kissed."

Doug's eyebrows shot up. "Wait a second. If they were still in you when they kissed then that means..."

Jessie smiled at Jonny. "That we ended up kissing. The spirits left and I still regret having pushed you away when I realized what we were doing." He tenderly gripped her shoulders and she rubbed her cheek to the back of one of his hands. She then turned back to her friends. "That's when we found out Paul was also a ghost, as was the entire island. We saved our gear and got back to the boat just before everything vanished. Our watches hadn't registered any elapse of time and our tape was blank. I had the My Dearest Marie letter in my hand, but a gust of wind stole it away. We had no proof that any of it had happened except what we had seen and experienced."

"We decided it was best to not mention anything of this adventure to our Fathers and keep it to ourselves the best we could. Now you know the real truth."

Doug rubbed his lower lip thoughtfully. "No one knows about the existence of Paul Mornay except for those who've read Jean Leger's journals. He was Caroline's youngest nephew." He looked up to the painting and noticed how the paint seemed to glow in the afternoon light. He frowned. The more he watched the more it seemed to glow. He began to back away suddenly when he realized two glowing forms were emerging from it. Crysta leapt to her feet with a shout, going to hide behind Doug. Having received a sensation from the phenomenon Jessie and Jonny held their ground. The feeling had been extremely familiar. Jessie stood and gripped Jonny's arm. The two forms stopped in front of them and began to slowly take shape. Within a few heartbeats the forms were clearly defined and a smile crossed the faces of the two teens. "Lady Caroline and Jean Leger!" Doug breathed in awe. The ghostly duo turned to smile at him, then returned their attention to the two adolescents.

Lady Caroline reached out a pale hand to lay a cold, feather like touch on Jessie's cheek. Jean Leger, for his part, held Jonny's shoulder in a tight, frigid grip. The unspoken question was all too clear to the two teens. Then looked to each other, then turned back to nod at the spirits. Doug and Crysta could only watch as the spirits stepped forward, towards their still friends, and seemed to melt into their bodies. Momentarily their eyes closed as a period of adjustment seemed to occur. When their eyes opened again they glowed with a new and spiritual energy. They filled their lungs deeply, looked down at their hands, then smiled at each other.

"Two years since I have felt truly real." came a voice from Jonny that wasn't his own. "And two years since I have seen you through these eyes, dear Caroline. This Miss Jessica Bannon looks so much like you."

"Ah, Jean. Always speaking with a silver tongue." Her voice had also changed. "But I must admit the resemblance of Mister Jonathan Quest to you is remarkable as well. This is strange and most pleasant at the same time." She reached out and touched his cheek in a gentle glide. They both laughed at the almost new, half remembered sensation.

"Lady Caroline? Mister Leger?" The duo turned to the voice. It was Doug. He looked suddenly shocked at their immediate response to the names. "It really is you?"

"As close as we can get to being alive, Mister Sanderson." Jonny/Jean replied. "Mister Quest and Miss Bannon are most generous to allow us this moment of flesh after what happened at our first encounter."

Doug nodded. "They told us what happened."

During this Jessie/Caroline had begun examining the room, peeking into the hallway. "It's all the same." she breathed.

Crysta followed her. "The... Your house was made a landmark and was turned into a museum. Doug takes care of it in the Winter and someone else does this in the Summer." She suddenly shook her head in dismay. "I don't believe this! I see Jessie, but I hear your voice. This is just too wild."

Doug looked at them both. "You said it had been two years. Why come back now, after so long?"

"The need to apologize became overwhelming." Jonny/Jean explained. "We used them, without permission, and nearly killed them in the process. In life we were brought up to know better."

"Also, we had a need to feel real again. This is our last chance before we cross over, permanently this time. What better way to do this than in those who resemble us the most. Our twins, if you will."

"I... I have so many questions." Doug stammered. "How do I prove that what happened to you was the real story?"

Jessie/Caroline smiled placidly. "Go to the bedroom at the end of the hall on the second floor. The third wall panel left from the closet should be loose. There you will find my diary, with my confession and witness to my haunting by Jean. There is your proof." She looked around the room one more time with a reminiscing smile. "I wish to thank you, Mister Sanderson, for taking care of my family home so well. Everything is as I remember."

"We tried our best. I'm glad it meets with your approval, Lady Caroline."

"One favor, for us as well as our hosts."

"Anything."

"We have seen All Hallow's Eve become a day for children and masquerade." Jonny/Jean began. "We have heard of Mister Quest and Miss Bannon's wish to attend a ball dressed in our likeness. Please allow them the use of some of the clothing we have left behind. Our gifts to them, in apology."

Jessie/Caroline laid a hand on his shoulder, a strange look on her face. "Jean, it's almost time."

He took her hands. "One last look, from the gazebo." She smiled and they walked, hand in hand, towards the house's back door leading to the gardens. A painted white, ornate gazebo on which the remains of rose vines still hung stood in the middle of the gardens. They walked up to it and stepped under the vine covered roof. The sun was setting in the West, casting an orange light over the land and the Atlantic nearby. Doug and Crysta just watched from the back door. The possessed duo stood for a moment, watching the setting sun's light spread over the water like an orange dye, a thin line of black forming at the horizon. "This is one of the sights seen with real eyes I will miss the most." he sighed.

Jessie/Caroline stepped closer to him. "One of the sights?"

He smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "The other is you, My Lady. My beautiful Caroline." came his soft reply.

She touched his cheek ever so tenderly. "And you, My Lord. I see you with eyes that are not mine and yet they look at you with love." she murmured. A silent tear traced a thin trail down her cheek.

It brought tears to his eyes. "Do not cry, Beloved. We will still be together... forever."

"I know, and that simple thought brings joy to my heart. A heart that belongs to you, Jean."

"And mine to you, Caroline." The held each other tight for a moment, then pulled back just enough to claim each other's lips in a warm embrace. There was a bright flash from the duo as the transparent forms of Lady Caroline Mornay and Jean Leger began to float skyward, still locked in the embrace. Then they vanished, forever.

Jessie and Jonny pulled apart, a slight moment of indecision passing between them as they readjusted, then smiled at each other as they realized what happened. He carefully wiped her tears away with a slight chuckle. "They did it to us again."

"No complaints." she grinned.

"Just a lot of tears."

A weak chuckle escaped her throat. "Mostly hers, but you were crying too." and she wiped away the remains of tears on his cheeks as he gave her his trademark lopsided grin. "Think we'll ever be like them?"

"What, ghosts?"

She chuckled again. "No."

"Then...?" He noticed her sweet smile, her ethereal green eyes glinting brightly in the sunset. A subtle connection between them occurred and he suddenly understood her question. "Oh." he smirked. "Aren't we already?" Then, "I mean, I know we don't say it often enough, but..."

"I know... and I think it's time we said it more often." She took his hands and pressed the backs of them to her heart, standing close to him, close enough to feel his body heat. "Mom used to say that they're the hardest three words in the world to say, but we need to hear them every so often. They're essential for a relationship to work." She looked up at him, her eyes locking with his. "I really want this to work between us, Jonny."

He smiled tenderly and kissed her hands. "It will. We'll make it work, Jessie. I promise you."

Her smile became playful. "Wrong three words."

He matched her smile. "Back at you, Beautiful."

* * *

Night fell, plunging the picturesque little town into a deep darkness. A deep thrumming sound came from the Rockport High School cafeteria. Inside the Halloween Dance was in full swing. Dressed in a silver, satin and silk evening gown, a white sash with gold print from shoulder to hip, and a gold and diamond crown on her head, Maya Vernessa stood with what could be best termed as her friends. It was a typical costume for Maya to wear; a Miss Universe Winner costume.

"Yes, Ladies, tonight's the night it happens." she announced over the sound of the belting music.

"Right, like he's ever going to change his mind. He and Bannon are too tight."

"He won't be able to resist. Tonight I pull out all the stops. He's mine. If not, then I'll just have to find a way to get Bannon out of the picture one way or another, permanently, not matter how long it takes."

"Hey, wow! Speak of the devil." one exclaimed.

In the cafeteria doorway, dressed in the finest Mornay House could supply, were Jonny Quest as Jean Leger and Jessie Bannon as Lady Caroline Mornay. She wore a simple, powder grey dress of the Victorian era accentuated with lace frills at her neck and wrists. An elegant, blush colored Camée was at her throat. His suit was also of the Victorian era, light brown in color, with a ruffled collar and cuffs. A replica of the Leger ruby broach was at his collar and a replica of the Leger signet ring on his hand. Her arm was hooked with his and they were smiling lovingly at each other.

"Whoa, he looks hot in that suit. And look how the guys are staring at her."

"Oh, man, Maya, there's no way you'll be able to split those two up. Look at 'em."

"Yeah, well, no one ever says no to Maya Vernessa." the Beauty Queen wanna be assured as she began to walk up to the duo.

The night wore on to her many failed attempts to get Jonny's attention away from Jessie. He only had eyes for her. She reminded him of a foggy night on an island in the Bay of Fundy and of his Mother in a slight way. She had her spirit and sense of adventure. The duo danced all the slows, and retreated to the dark corners of the room during the faster ones. They snuggled and kissed tenderly during these moments. By midnight, tired of Maya's relentless pursuits and annoying interruptions, they left for the Quest Compound. Jonny, again, drove the car carefully as Jessie dozed peacefully in the passenger's seat. Driving along the cliff roads he risked a glance at his beloved girlfriend. A smile crept to his face as he realized that, if he lived to be a million, he would never be able to get over the fact that they were now a couple. It made his heart beat faster. She looked up and smiled, causing the rhythm of his heart to miss. Oh, God! She's gorgeous. "You tired?" he asked.

"Not really." she sighed. She placed a gentle hand on his thigh.

He chuckled at a thought. "So, what do you want to do tonight?"

"You are so predictable, Jonathan Quest." she laughed, giving his leg a slight squeeze. "There's a monster movie marathon starting at one on channel forty."

He chuckled again. "You up for an all-night movie marathon?"

"Mmm, I'm up if your up for it?"

"Well, I'm up if you're up." he retorted.

"Don't start."

"Got it." and they laughed.

They drove through the Compound's main gate, it closing automatically behind them, and pulled up to the house. Immediately they noticed the lack of the mini van in one of the garages. "One of them must of gone into town." he voiced as he opened the passenger side door for her. Like the perfect gentleman he opened every door for her, thanked at every one by a gentle kiss on the cheek. They entered the abnormally quiet house. Jonny frowned. Thought Race would be up waiting for us. "Race?... Dad?... Hadji?..." No answer. Jessie dashed through the halls, looking for the others while Jonny went to the kitchen. There was an envelope stuck on the white fridge with both their names scrawled hastily on the front. He opened it and read the contents, a wash of relief coming over him as the note's contents sunk in. "Jess!"

She came as fast as her skirts would allow. "Did you find them?"

"No, but they're okay, just on a little trip to the Amazon. Seems our Dads and Hadj were called off on an Access O-37 case."

She smiled, relieved. "Unsolvable by conventional means. For a minute there I thought they might have been kidnaped or something. Could have waited until we came back before leaving." She looked at the note and her eyes widened. "I noticed how you neglected to mention that they'd be gone for a few months."

His smile became coy, playful. "Trusting, aren't they?"

Catching on to his thoughts she began to back away towards the stairs, beaming impishly at him. "They certainly are, but watching a movie marathon is innocent enough."

He advanced on her, blocking all other retreat, still smiling. "The movies are only part of tonight's entertainment."

In a whirl of fabric and with the sound of laughter she spun around and raced up the stairs. He was close on her heels, laughing as well. She turned back to him when she reached her bedroom's door, holding her hands out to restrain him. "Down, Boy!" she chuckled.

He pushed against the hands on his chest, still grinning. "Just thought you'd need help getting out of that dress." he cooed.

"Oh, no, you don't. Just help me with the zipper and I'll do the rest... alone."

He sighed in such an exaggerated act of surrender that she had to laugh. She turned her back to him, lifting her hair up to reveal the thin zipper along her spine. He smiled wickedly as he began to slowly undo the back of her dress, inter-spacing a soft kiss at every inch of flesh revealed. He was rewarded by hearing her gasp softly as her whole body trembled.

Jessie stepped away to break the contact, holding the dress to her chest as she turned to smile at him. "I'll see you downstairs." she murmured.

He winked and left for his room. There, he quickly changed into his cotton pyjamas, setting the loaned costume on a hanger with great care, and then went down to the Family Room, keeping the lights out. He stretched out on his back on the couch, using the universal remote to turn on the television to the right channel. As he watched the commercial previews from sponsors, Jonny heard Jessie enter the kitchen and open the fridge. She appeared behind the couch, dressed in a baggy pair of flannel pyjamas, handed him a can of pop, then stretched out on the couch's backrest.

She first smiled down at him, then looked to the screen, at the first few scenes, and frowned. "This isn't a monster movie." she commented.

"Psychological thriller. I think it's called Cape Fear, the nineties remake with Robert DeNiro." He reached up and took her pop can to place it on the low coffee table with his own. "Don't want you spilling it on me when you freak." he answered her frown.

"I don't scare easy."

"We'll see." The movie wore on, the tension building with each passing scene. Looking up he saw her staring intently at the screen, totally engrossed in the movie. Suddenly, Robert DeNiro's character seemed to appear from out of nowhere. Jessie yelped in surprise, lost her balance on the backrest, and fell forward onto Jonny's chest, coming face-to-face with him. He, in turn, yelped, recovered and smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Hi, there."

Her smile was apologetic. "Uh... Hi."

"Don't scare easily, hun? Wouldn't have spilt your pop, hun?" he teased.

"Okay, okay." She kneeled up, straddling his hips. "I was wrong, you were right."

"Ah, my six favorite words." He let his hands rest on her thighs. "Say it again."

She smirked. "Which part?"

"The one about me being right." he grinned.

Her smile became sultry as she brought her face down closer to his again. "You were right." she purred in her tenderest voice and gently kissed his lips. She pulled a bit back to smile down at him. "You were right." she repeated, her voice even softer, and held the kiss a little longer. His arms slipped around her waist when she pulled back again. Her voice softened even more. "You were r--"

Their lips met again before she could finish, exploring each other's mouths hungrily. Unsure quite why Jessie's hands found the buttons of his pyjama's shirt and, in slow deliberation, began to undo each and every one. Still locked in the embrace Jonny managed a smile, allowing her to continue. Her hands spread the shirt open to reveal rosy tanned skin. He sat up just long enough to rid himself of it, then took her face between his hands to make the kiss last as long as possible. Breathless, she broke the embrace and sat up. His hands remained at her face, moving down her neck to the top-most button of her shirt. She watched his hands move with more gentleness than she had ever seen him use. One by one he undid the buttons and then sat up when he reached the last one. He eased her shirt back over her shoulders. She couldn't help but let her head loll back as he exposed her cream white flesh and the lace and silk of her bra as his lips skimmed the flesh of her throat. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, lost in her intense emotions at the feel of so much warm flesh in contact with her own. His lips found their way along the length of her throat down to the tender flesh of her chest and back to her shoulder. Jessie wrapped her arms around his neck, holding his face pressed to the side of her neck. He crushed her body in his arms.

He breathed heavily in her hair, his voice a bare, strained whisper. "Oh, God, Jess, I want you so much."

"Then, please, don't hold back." came her breathless, impassioned plea.

"No!" he pulled back slightly to look at her face. "No." he continued more softly. "I can't... I... have too much respect for you... It's too soon."

"No, it's not." She touched his cheek as he looked deep into her eyes and tightened his arms around her. She smiled sweetly and lightly kissed his lips. "Jonny?"

"Hmm?"

She opened her eyes to stare deep into the crystal blue depths of his own. He felt his heart stop painfully from the look she was giving him. Pure, unadulterated desire. "I want you too. Please, now." she pleaded. Jessie's voice dropped to a hushed whisper. "Make love to me, Jonny."

"I..." but her mouth closed atop of his to silence him. Letting himself fall back to his back, still locked in her embrace, he surrendered to the overwhelming sensations she was awakening in him. He wanted to caress her body and taste every inch of her. And how she wanted him to. In the haze he thought he could hear a dog begin to bark. His hands slid up the skin of her back, up to the clasps of her bra. Suddenly, a white mass came bounding into the room, hurdled through the air, and landed between them on Jonny's chest, barking madly. "Hey! Bandit!"

With his tongue lolling out, bright eyes gleaming, the small dog looked at them both with his head cocked. Jessie couldn't help but laugh as she sat up. "You'd think Dad put him up to this." she quipped as she patted Bandit's head.

Jonny chuckled. "Wouldn't put it past Race. Bandit, off." and the Pit Bull Terrier dropped heavily to the floor. Jonny looked up at Jessie with a resolute sigh, lacing his fingers with hers. "I really, really want to... but we can't. Not for some time yet."

She looked away in understanding. "Patience is not something I'm terribly good at." She met his eyes with a grin. "Neither are you, for that matter."

He returned her grin. "But in this case I'll make the effort." He paused, choosing his words carefully, wanting to make his future intentions for the both of them plainly clear to her. "You are so beautiful, Jess. All of you. So I want our first time to be extra special and worth the wait."

"Flatterer." She suddenly caught on something he said. "Our first time...?" She saw the twinkle in his eye and suddenly smiled in comprehension. "Oh. Is that a promise of things to come, Mr. Quest?"

"What do you think, Miss Bannon?"

"I think it is."

"Then you're right."

With a low giggle she bent down and tenderly claimed his lips in a warm embrace. "I love you." she breathed, admitting her feelings to him.

"I love you, too." he replied, giving her his heart. He held her tight all through the movies, silently enjoying the feel of her skin pressed to his. Later, after retrieving their shirts, they retired to their separate rooms for the night. Jonny woke the next morning to the smell of breakfast being prepared in another part of the house. He dragged himself out of bed and trudged down the stairs to the kitchen. He caught sight of a clock as he passed. 9:20 A.M. He'd only gotten four hours of sleep. "Thought you'd be tired after last night, Jess." he announced as he entered the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.

"What happened last night and who's this Jess?" came a voice that wasn't Jessie's.

His eyes snapped wide open. A pudgy woman with greying rusty hair stood before the stove wearing a flowery dress and an apron. She grinned suspiciously at him, her black eyes twinkling. He just stared back, frozen in the doorway. At the table chuckled a dark haired teen dressed in a sweater and jeans. "Aunt Addie? Barry?"

"Hey, Coz." the teen greeted.

A pair of arms suddenly wrapped themselves around Jonny's shoulders from behind as a body molded itself to his back. "D'you make breakfast, Hot Shot?" Jessie murmured as she nuzzled her face near his ear.

Jonny took her arms and pushed her away slightly. "Down, Ace, we have company." She looked at the two others in the room and fought hard to stop the fierce blush that crept across her cheeks.

The older woman grinned mischievously. "Ah, this must be the Jess you were expecting to see instead of us."

Jonny hunched his shoulders. "Jessica Bannon, my Aunt, Adelaide Quest Morgan, and my Cousin, Barry Morgan." he introduced.

"Please, call me Addie. Jessica Bannon. Ah, yes, Jessie. You're Race's little girl, aren't you?"

"Yes, m'ame."

"Aunt Addie, what're you two doing here?"

"Benton didn't tell you?" The duo shook their heads in a negative. She sighed. "Leave it to him to forget. I swear sometimes he'd forget his own head." Adelaide ushered them to sit at the table, placing a plate of scrambled eggs before each, and took a seat herself as they ate. "Just before he left your Dad called me and asked if I would come down to keep an eye on the two of you. He said something about feeling safer if there was an adult present full-time instead of just three times a week like Mrs. Evans."

"Leave it to Dad." he muttered around a mouthful of egg.

Barry smirked. "Well, he said they'd be back sometime at the beginning of March, at the latest. Until then, we stuck with each other, Coz."

"Aw, Barry, you make it sound like such a bad." Jonny replied in his most pathetically sarcastic tone. Jessie only giggled, almost choking on a mouthful of egg.

Adelaide merely grinned mischievously again. "Now, you were going to tell us why you came in here, thinking we were Jessie, and said you thought she'd be tired after last night?"

Jessie glanced at Jonny who seemed strangely composed. "We went to the Halloween Dance at school last night and came home rather late. We stayed up anyway to watch the Monster Movie Marathon for a bit, then went to bed."

"I don't know, Coz. You two looked a little more, what's the word? Guilty, than two people who watched monster movies all night."

Both teens blushed. "Our Dads and Hadji don't know yet." Jessie finally voiced.

"What?" Barry saw his Cousin reach over and tenderly grip the fiery redhead's hand as the duo smiled sweetly, shyly, at each other. "Oh. You been going out long?"

"Three month anniversary tomorrow." Jonny beamed proudly.

"And your Dads don't know?" The teens shook their heads in a negative. Addie suddenly frowned. "After three months couples don't usually act like you two."

"They do when they find out the person they've secretly loved for the past two years has felt the same way about you for the same amount of time." Jessie grinned shyly at Jonny. He pulled her close to gently claim her lips. She smiled into the kiss, noticing how he was starting not to care anymore if there were others around to see.

Barry shook his head with a short chuckle when they finally pulled apart and stared intently at each other. "Man, you two have really got it bad." he muttered as the duo got up, heading for the door.

Jonny turned to him with a playful grin as he took Jessie's hands. "Coz, you don't know the half of it." Jessie merely laughed as she pulled him along.

* * *

A loud snap filled the kitchen as Jessie whipped the damp dish towel at Jonny's rear. He jumped to avoid contact with it. "Hey, watch it with that! You have a license to use that thing?"

"I said out."

"Aw, c'mon, Jess."

"No. Look, Addie's not letting Barry in here so I'm not letting you in."

"This is some girl thing on Thanksgiving, right?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Go watch the Super Bowl, or something. Now, out!" and she snapped the towel at him again. In a blur of movement he grabbed hold of the towel end and gave a tug. She held on tight, giving a tug of her own, instigating a small game of tug o' war between the two of them. Addie watched with a smile from the other end of the kitchen as she basted the turkey. Jessie saw a sudden bright gleam in his eyes shortly before he gave the towel a sharp tug. Unprepared, she stumbled forward then, trying to recover, leaned back too far. She pulled hard on the towel to help straighten herself. Jonny leaned back, bracing himself to help her. An impish gleam suddenly flashed in her green eyes just before she let go of the towel. Unable to recover he began to back-pedal before landing spread-eagle on the floor. She laughed and leaned over to look down at his face. "Aw, diddums poo' baby fawl down?" she quipped as Addie doubled over in hysterics.

He laughed despite himself. "Alright. You win, Ace, I'll leave." She helped him back to his feet and ushered him out the door.

Jonny spent the rest of the day with his Cousin, Barry Morgan, in front of the forty two inch screen television watching the Thanksgiving football games, including the Super Bowl. The Dallas Cowboys versus the Miami Dolphins and, as usual, the Dolphins were losing. Ever since they signed Dan Marino as their star Quarterback they hadn't been able to win a Super Bowl. From the kitchen he could hear sounds of activity and smell wonderful aromas. At roughly 6:00 P.M. Addie ordered the two young men to go get changed into formal, yet casual, clothes for supper and reconvene in the Dining Room. He knew better than to argue with his Aunt. He had seen her take on Race in an argument and win, hands down.

He opted for his pair of black dress slacks and a blue denim shirt. Of course he kept his running shoes. As he straightened his hair in the mirror he caught sight of the light glinting off his pendant at his throat. With a grin he pulled it out so it now hung in plain sight. He met Barry at the bottom of the stairs and both headed for the Dining Room.

"Where you get the bobble?" his Cousin inquired, noticing the Dragon design pendant.

"A present from Jessie a while back when we were in India. I never had the heart to take it off, not that I want to. I have the pictures of two very important ladies in here, Mom being one of them."

"Who's the other, or do I really need to ask?"

"No, you don't." he grinned. They entered the Dining Room only to stop dead in their tracks. The fine oak table was draped in a finely embroidered table cloth. Two sets of chairs faced each other, those on the ends having been removed. Jonny noticed how two of the chairs were set closer together than the other two. He grinned when he speculated why. The four place settings were of the house's fine bone china, crystal, and silverware. Two stately white candles stood on the table top, unlit in their silver chandeliers. "Uh... Did we miss something here?" Addie walked in carrying the last food platters. "Aunt Addie, what's all this?"

"Actually, this was Jessie's idea."

As if on cue, Jessica Bannon walked into the room. "Found the mat--" She froze as her breath seemed to block in her throat. God, he can still do that to me, she marveled, almost breathless. His blond hair was still in the slight disarray she liked and the cut of his shirt made him look... Oh, how can I even begin to describe how he looks. Her eyes fell to the pendant hanging proudly at his throat and she smiled, touching her own pendant unconsciously. "Don't you gents look handsome." she commented softly.

Jonny just stared. Her long flame red hair hung loose, pinned back at the sides to reveal her face, a few loose strands framing her features. She wore practically no make-up, but the effect was stunning nonetheless. One's eyes were either drawn into the depths of her eyes or the lusciousness of her lips. Jonathan Quest truly believed he could have stood there and gone on forever on how she looked and moved in her green velvet dress. Had I all the time in the Universe it still wouldn't be enough time with her. It took him a moment to recover from the sight of her, then he smiled. "So, all this glitz was your idea."

She shrugged, hoping it hid the shiver she got when he smiled at her. She had seen the look in his eyes, a look that easily reminded her of what almost happened that Halloween night. In a fluid gesture she struck a match to the box's flint and lit the two virgin candles, then blew out the flame on the match. "No harm in a little glitz." came her soft reply.

"No, none at all." He came over to pull out her chair for her. She smiled her sweetest smile at him as she sat and her hand went to rest on his thigh when he took his seat. He returned her smile before turning his attention to the feast before him. "Sure you two cooked enough?"

"Just enough to rival the gorge feast on that one Christmas." Addie replied.

Both young men groaned at the memory. "You know, Jonny, we are never going to live that one down."

"I know, I know."

"What? What happened?" Jessie interest had been peaked.

Jonny sighed heavily. "About a year before you moved in here the first time, Dad held a monster Christmas bash for the entire Quest clan. Uh... How could I phrase this right? You know what they say about teenage boys being able to eat the contents of three refrigerators and still be hungry afterwards?"

"Yeah."

"It's highly over rated." Barry finished. "One is more than enough. The terms stomach pumpcome to mind." Jessie had to laugh at Jonny's wincing face. "Not something I care to repeat."

"Same here."

With the barest gesture of her hand Addie got them to all join hands. "Race once told me that he usually takes you to see your Mother on this day and you never saw one of the Quest traditions. In the Quest family we have a long standing tradition at Thanksgiving. We share with each other what we are most thankful for, for that year." she explained for Jessie's sake. "Even after I married I endeavored to keep this tradition alive in my new family. Barry...?"

He bowed his head slightly in thought. "I guess... I'm most thankful for several things, actually. The fact that I'm about to graduate in the top of my class, the fact I have my health, and the fact I have the greatest family in the world to spend my life with."

"Dripping with sweet stuff." Jonny muttered with a smile. Jessie gave his hand a squeeze to silence him, a grin working the corners of her mouth.

Addie continued, not having heard the comment. "The things I'm most thankful for are the happiness and good health both my families share." She looked up at the duo across from her.

Jonny turned to Jessie. "Ladies first." he grinned.

She grinned back, almost shyly. "God, where to start. This past year has been a hectic one. Everything happening at once." She sighed heavily. "I'm thankful we're all still together. That we're all still alive." Jonny smiled at that comment. She turned to him. "And I'm especially thankful that a certain someone finally worked up the courage to ask me to be his girlfriend." she stated with sultry sweetness. Jonny could feel the warm blush creeping across his cheeks.

Barry whooped. "Score one for the fire maiden!" They all laughed. "Ball's in your court now, Coz."

Jonny looked away for a moment, trying to re-compose himself, then turned back. His eyes gleamed the brightest blue Jessie had ever seen them. "I'm only thankful for one thing this year." He turned his eyes to stare deeply into Jessie's as he laced his fingers with hers. It felt as if she couldn't breath anymore, so intense was his gaze. "I'm thankful you said yes." His voice was low.

"Yes to what?" she asked tentatively.

He smiled. "To everything so far." and he kissed the back of her fingers tenderly. She blushed suddenly, uncontrollably.

Barry's laughter snapped them out of their little world. "Even score!" he crowed. After a moment of confused silence they all burst into throes of laughter.

* * *

Friday, December 4th. School had finally let out for the holidays, four hours ago. Students packed the malls and shops to shop around and relax after their Christmas Exams. The snow lay thick on the ground, inter-spaced by patched of slippery ice. In the center of Rockport stood a large shopping mall, packed with holiday shoppers. Outside snow fell and temperatures fell well below freezing, but inside the mall everyone was warm and toasty.

Arms loaded with bags of gifts and other whatnot objects, Jessie and Jonny walked out into the cold towards the car, arm in arm. She laughed. "Oh, c'mon, Jonny. You're not going to tell me that wasn't the least bit fun?"

"Fun is watching you on Santa's knee, Jess, not me. I'm seventeen. I'm too old for that."

"And I'm not? Then tell me the pictures weren't worth it."

He struggled with his keys to pop the car's trunk and began loading the bags in. "I'd feel a whole lot better if I had the negative." he grumbled half-heartedly.

She faced him, her back to the street, and took his hands as she gave him a sweet smile. "I know something else that would make you feel better." she told him in a honey smooth voice.

He gave her his trademark lopsided grin as he leaned in towards her. She stopped him with a slight giggle.

"No, not that. I had something else in mind."

Using her eyes she pointed across the street at one store in particular. He followed her gaze and his eyes widened pleasantly. Victoria's Secrets was written across the sign board in a bright rose color. He turned back to her. She arched an eyebrow playfully.

"I'll pick out something nice especially for you and we'll try again for what almost happened on Halloween." she stated softly as she walked into the icy street.

He chuckled. "Don't think anything there will fit me, Jess," and she laughed. "... but I'm all willing to try Halloween again." he called, causing her to turn and stop in the middle of a lane just as he closed the trunk.

That was when he heard it. The squealing of speeding wheels, the screeching of breaks on ice. He barely had time to look up in time to see a brown 1987 Buick Regal come tearing down the road, uncontrollably. It was barreling straight for Jessie.

"No-- JESSIE!!"

But it was too late for him to do anything. As if in slow motion the car slammed into her body, propelling her up and over the hood and roof. Limply she tumbled back down to the street and snow as the car sped away, not stopping. He raced out into the street to her, leaning over her broken body, peering into her features anxiously. He tried not to look at her twisted limbs. Blood was already staining the snow from non-apparent wounds, blood trickling from her nose and mouth.

"Jessie...? Jess...?" He was frantic as his hands began to cup her face. Her blood flowed over his hands, staining them.

"... J- Jon-... Jonny..." Her good arm flailed to let her grip his shoulder, her eyes fluttered open just a bit. "... D- don't... m... move... m-... me..." she managed.

Quickly he scanned the gathering crowd. "Somebody call an ambulance! NOW!!" A few people raced off to find a phone. He looked at her, his eyes beginning to tear, and carefully caressed her face. Agonizing minutes went by as they just stared into each others eyes, her green eyes slowly beginning to close. "No... Jessie, stay with me. You'll be okay. Just hang on a little bit longer." his voice cracked. He could hear the sirens coming closer.

"... I'm... a-... afraid... I... w... won't... be able... t- to... give... y- you my... p-... present,... J- Jon-... Jonny..." she smiled weakly.

He smiled reassuringly through his tears. "Yes, you will. I'm not going to lose you, not now, not ever. I love you too much to lose you." She merely smiled as her eyes finally closed just as the ambulance arrived. "Jess?... No!"

In a blur of activity she was prepped for transport to the hospital, both teens were loaded into the vehicle, and they took off. He watched the paramedics work frantically to stabilize her continuously dropping life signs. All he could do was watch. He couldn't even touch her so much the medics were rushing around the back of the ambulance. At the hospital he had to run to keep up with them, but he was stopped at the entrance to the Emergency Ward. He watched through a small window in the door before a curtain was pulled around where Jessie was being worked on. A nurse arrived, gently took hold of Jonny's shoulders and led him towards a quiet, private waiting area. He paced for a few minutes before the nurse returned with a small paper cup and a Styrofoam cup full of water.

"Take this." she urged gently.

Jonny kept pacing anxiously.

"It'll help you relax. If you stay wound up like this it'll kill you. I know who you are, Jonathan Quest, and I looked at your file. You have a nasty tendency to drive yourself too hard in situations you can't control."

He looked at her, this petite brunette with wide nearly silver eyes.

"Take it." she offered again.

He hesitated and she smiled a very knowing, pleasant smile.

"I also know you don't like needles. That's the other option."

He relented, shaking as shock settled in, and swallowed the small pills.

"If you need anything, I'm Nurse Katrina Mouse."

She walked out of the small room as two uniformed police officers walked in. They just stood there, behind him, and waited just long enough for him to sit down. The sedative was taking effect, numbing most of his feelings, but not enough.

"What's your name, Son?" the tall, burly officer asked carefully.

He looked up at the African American. He saw the name on his tag: Sergeant H. Jerren. "Jonathan Quest, sir."

He asked for Jessie's name, their address and phone number next. "Alright, now, Jonathan. Tell us what happened. Take your time."

Jonny struggled with the words as a dark void began to invade his soul. It was like Cairo all over again. "We... We were Christmas shopping, well, just finished... I was packing the trunk... We were joking around 'cause we got our pictures taken with Santa... She mentioned she wanted to go to the store across the street..." A slight, fleeting smile tugged the corners of his mouth. "She wanted to get a surprise for me, it was a lingerie store... Next thing I know there's a car coming right at her and..." His throat tightened. He couldn't relive the moment. He looked down at his hands, feeling his pain increase at the sight of her blood on his skin.

"What kind of car was it?" the other asked carefully.

The moment flashed in his mind regardless of his efforts to suppress it. Silently he cursed his photographic memory. "Uh... A brown one... Buick... An '87 Regal, I think."

Jerren nodded. "Go call it in, Mike. Hit and run. Oh, and call his house. Their family might want to know about this." As the other officer left he turned to Jonny. "She's your girlfriend, isn't she?"

Jonny could only nod, tears flowed freely at the thought of possibly losing her. His worst fear was possible coming true. He was reliving the nightmare he had suffered in Cairo. And Hadji wasn't here to help keep her alive.

"Don't worry, she's a tough one. The whole fact she survived the impact is proof enough."

He took a shaky breath. "I almost lost her once before this." he managed.

"Yeah, when?"

"... Some... two years back,... in Cairo... She--"

His heart finally tore apart and he dropped his head on his arms, letting the heavy sobs wrack his body. Jerren was shocked, to say the least. Never in his ten years on the Force had he seen a man cry so hard for an injured girlfriend. He gripped the young man's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. This Jessica Bannon must have been someone incredibly special. Several long hours passed with no news of any kind. He just sat there, unmoving, as his heart poured out with his tears. Nurse Mouse returned several times to check on him and offer comforting words. He didn't really hear her words. Jonny's Aunt Adelaide and Cousin Barry showed up to offer emotional support, but he barely acknowledged their presence. His world was lost in darkness and blurred by tears. He leapt to his feet when the attending doctor walked into the waiting room.

"You all here for the Bannon girl?" he asked, reading off his file.

"Jessie. How is she?" Jonny demanded anxiously.

The doctor paused in indecision, then sighed. "I'll be blunt, young man. Her chances are not good, slim at best."

Addie had to support Jonny as his knees began to buckle. Barry got to him a second later to help.

"The damage she sustained was extensive. It was a miracle she survived this long with it all. Multiple fractures throughout her body, whiplash, bruised spinal column, joint dislocations, and internal bleeding, though we got that under control with some surgery. She went into a coma about fifteen minutes ago. We're not sure when she'll wake up again, but we can tell she's fighting it. It's almost as if she's hanging on to something... or someone. If she does wake up there might be some brain damage and we're extremely skeptical about her chances of ever being able to walk again. And all that is being optimistic about her surviving the night. Her chances of survival will increase if she does."

He barely registered the words. Fighting the pain in his heart Jonny straightened bravely. "I... I want to see her."

The doctor looked to Addie and Barry, then nodded at the young man before leading him through the halls of the Intensive Care Unit. Doors lined the halls, large curtained windows next to each of them. The doctor stopped in front of one window. Jonny peered in and felt his chest tighten with more pain he'd ever felt.

No, I've felt this before, in Cairo.

Various tubes and wires streamed out of contraptions; a heart monitor and an electroencephalographs, to monitor brain activity. All were connected somewhere on her body. A machine breathed for her from a tube down her throat. Plaster casts immobilized most of her body and a turban like bandage was wrapped around her head. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks again as his hand pressed to the cold glass of the window. He looked to the doctor who was already opening the door for him, giving him a nod. Jonny went in, alone, and stood next to Jessie's bed. Ever so gently he traced her bruised cheekbone.

"Don't leave me, Jess... I still need you." he pleaded.

He pulled a chair up to her bedside and sat down, holding her limp hand. Her skin felt cold.

"I'm going to stay here until you wake up... Okay, Ace?... I'm right here..."

He looked up at the IV bag dripping life saving blood into her veins and the other that dripped some clear fluid, pain killers most probably.

"I know they say... comatose people can hear those talking to them so I'm going to talk to you, okay? If you want me to stop talking you'll have to wake up otherwise I'll just keep talking and talking, and we both don't want that to happen, do we?... This kind of gives a bad sense of déjà vu, doesn't it?" he quipped weakly with a lame laugh.

He suddenly stared, tears coming more freely.

"God, Jess, you have no idea how much I want to hold you right now. I love you." and his head dropped to her hand as he cried.

* * *

Jessie walked around the darkness, confused and more than a little afraid. Where was she? She remembered Christmas shopping with Jonny and hearing the squealing wheels of a car... but then what happened? How did she get here? She heard a door open through the darkness and felt the light touch of fingers on her cheek.

"Don't leave me, Jess... I still need you." she heard as she felt her hand be taken.

She knew that voice. Jonny?

"I'm going to stay here until you wake up... Okay, Ace?... I'm right here..."

Wake up? But I'm right here, I can hear you. I am awake. Why can't I see you?

"I know they say... comatose people can hear those talking to them so I'm going to talk to you, okay?"

Comatose!? Me?

"If you want me to stop talking you'll have to wake up otherwise I'll just keep talking and talking, and we both don't want that to happen, do we?"

Jonny, I'm right here!

"This kind of gives a bad sense of déjà vu, doesn't it?"

In the darkness Jessie began to cry. He couldn't hear her, no matter how hard she yelled, and she couldn't even squeeze his hand. His voice had cracked and all she wanted was to hold him.

"God, Jess, you have no idea how much I want to hold you right now. I love you." and she felt his face drop to her hand and hot tears wet her cold skin.

I love you, too. And you don't know how much I want you to hold me.

Why do you cry, child? came a new voice in the darkness.

Jessie had a violent mental start. She was supposed to be alone here. She was comatose so her subconscious was her only company.

We are far from your subconscious, dear child, the voice broke into her thoughts. Do not be alarmed, we will not harm you.

What're you doing in my mind?

Are we in your mind or are you in ours? the voice chuckled. You'll know our purpose, and yours, in due time. We simply wait for the other.

The other? Wait! What're you talking about? Come back! But once again she was alone in the dark.

* * *

Three weeks had passed since the accident. It was now December 24th at 8:00 A.M. Jessie had survived. Not for an instant had Jonny left her bedside, watching over her, almost guarding her. Every so often he would notice how the EEC would spike to show some mental activity, but apart from that there was no change in her condition. The doctors were saying she was getting better, but they still couldn't say when she would wake up, if ever. They had long since removed the tube from down her throat, letting her breath on her own instead of by a machine. Most of her injuries had healed during the past three weeks and her bandages had been removed. Jonny passed the time by toying with a lock of her hair and staring at her face. Every so often Crysta and Jessie's other girlfriends would come for a visit and try to comfort Jonny in his time of need, but they could never stay long enough to be of any real help. Not that he paid much attention to them.

Barry appeared in the doorway. "It's been three weeks, Coz. You need to blow off some steam."

Jonny just gave him a puzzled glance.

"It was obvious from the moment you heard they caught the driver. Your school still open over the Holidays?"

He nodded.

"Good. C'mon, a few hours in the gym'll make you feel better. We'll go home after and you can relax, grab a bite to eat, and maybe get some sleep. Three weeks is a long time to be awake. Don't worry, Mom has my cell phone number. If anything new happens we'll be back here in a flash."

He looked to Addie who was sitting in the opposite corner of the room to him. She nodded reassuringly. Reluctantly, Jonny got to his feet and leaned over Jessie's limp form.

"I'll be back soon, Jess. I promise." he whispered and gently touched her lips with his own.

The void was still in his heart, dark and painful. He then let himself be pulled away from her side and out of the hospital.

Barry drove through the snow covered streets towards Rockport High School. Few cars were parked outside this school. Blindly, Jonny led him through the halls towards the gym. On the other side of the gym was a group of girls in leotards practicing some sort of cheer leading routine. Maya Vernessa was one of them. The two young men got changed and then Barry led his Cousin to a fighting mat, mainly the punching bag. Maya stopped the practice so she could easily watch the duo, mainly Jonny.

Barry placed himself behind the punching bag to hold it steady. "Alright, Coz, I want you to imagine that this thing's the driver. Ready?... Vent!"

Jonny began to punch the bag, slowly at first, then, as the image of the driver's face appeared in his mind, he began to punch with more ferocity and strength, adding kicks as he went along. On and on he vented, not feeling the pain from his now raw knuckles, grunting as he put more and more strength and anger behind each punch and kick. He suddenly felt a sharp pang in his chest and he dropped to his knees, breathing heavily.

"... Wh-... What happened?..." he panted as his Cousin gripped his shoulder.

"You just killed the punching bag."

"I what?" He looked at the vent target of his rage and found it torn apart with sand and saw dust scattered around the mat. "Oh, man." he breathed.

"Maybe we should try to focus that anger instead of venting. Less dangerous. You still in archery?"

"Yeah, my gear's in the supply room."

Barry nodded slightly and ran off in the indicated direction. Jonny got to his feet, rubbing his sore knuckles, as he stared at the remains of the punching bag. Glancing up slightly he saw Maya breathing heavily and smiling at him.

Oh, great. I'm really mad right now and she get's off on it. How sick can you get?

Barry returned with the archery equipment and a large target. "Bet these're your own arrows, right? They're too heavy to be ordinary ones."

He shrugged. "I've been tinkering."

He took the bow and notched one of his special arrows. He took a second to focus, pulled back farther than needed, aimed, and released. The arrow imbedded itself to the halfway mark. He did this for several more arrows as Maya watched, entranced.

Then, "So, how's Bannon doing?" she suddenly asked, her voice sickeningly sweet.

Jonny faltered for only a second. "What do you care?"

"Now, now, don't be bitter. I was just wondering. After all, getting hit by a Buick Regal has got to hurt."

He hid his violent reaction by releasing the arrow. It went to the center of the target as if by instinct. None of the newspapers had reported what kind of vehicle had hit Jessie.

"She's still in a coma."

"Poor girl. That Trevor Nigles really screwed up that night, didn't he?"

And the newspapers hadn't released the driver's name. That cinched it for Jonny. Maya was somehow responsible. He notched another arrow and took aim at the target.

"Tell me something, Maya?"

"Anything you want."

"What was your part in all this?" He pulled the arrow back a little more.

"... I... uh... I don't know what you're talking about." She was flustered, almost frightened.

Jonny turned quickly to her and released the arrow. It barely missed her ear. His blue eyes glowed a menacing light, fierce and dangerous.

"I swear, when I find out exactly what your part was, you're going to wish you never met me." to which he threw his bow on the ground at her feet and stormed out of the gym.

Barry, stunned at his Cousin's words and actions, ran after him. Without a word they got into the car and drove to the Quest Compound. Once there Jonny entered the house, ignoring Bandit's energetic welcome, and went straight upstairs. Barry left him alone, not wanting to suddenly find himself the target of fresh, new anger.

Somber and silent, young Quest showered and changed into a fresh set of clothes. He still felt cold, even if the water had been set to near scalding. It was almost 7:00 P.M. He then looked around his room. Nothing had been changed in the past three weeks. Everything was where it should be, which made it all the more painful to look at. At any moment he expected Jessie to burst into his room, laughing. Going to his coat he had thrown on the foot of his bed he began fishing in one of the pockets. He pulled out a green stone locket on a thin gold chain, Jessie's locket. The doctors at the hospital had removed it to better treat her injuries. Jonny had held on to it ever since. Somehow he found himself in Jessie's room and just stood there, looking around. On her pillow sat a battered brown bear named Mr. Bear. Jessie's favorite bear. His mind imagined hearing her voice, her laughter, seeing her smiling face and glowing green eyes, feeling her pressed tightly in his arms. The void invaded his soul again as he imagined losing her. His eyes began to burn with new tears as he tangled himself in her blankets, holding Mr. Bear like she did every night. There, he cried himself to sleep.

* * *

Jessie merely existed in the dark, unsure of the exact passage of time, comforted only by the sound of Jonny's voice and the feel of his hand holding hers. She had barely heard Barry convince him to leave and she had silently agreed on the reasons. She remembered how back in Cairo he had nearly killed himself watching over her almost lifeless form. Mentally she shouted out to Jonny to go ahead and spend some time on himself. After all, she would still be here when he returned. He had kissed her lips before leaving, a tender, feather like touch. But now that he was gone she missed him. She was alone.

The other comes, came the strange voice from the darkness.

She had gotten used to this voice. When everything else around her was silent the voice would come to speak to her, riddles mostly.

Who is this other?

A part of you, dear child.

But, I'm already a whole. How can there still be a missing part?

None of us is truly whole, child. We are all two halves searching for each other to become whole again. Some spend a lifetime searching for the other. Rare are those who receive our help, rarer are those who have found the half without our help. We are here to make you realize that the other arriving is your other half. You've already wasted so much time.

I don't understand.

You will. Be patient, and the voice disappeared.

Jessie again existed in the dark. They said understanding would come, but understanding of what? The other was coming, but they had never told her who the other was apart that this otherwas her other half and that she knew... it? Patience was definitely not one of her virtues.

The other arrives! We will give you both a more solid form, a more corporeal form, to better interact in this realm.

She felt a tingling sensation and suddenly she could see her hands. Then the rest of her body appeared when she looked down, clothed the same way as the day of the accident. The darkness receded to form a circular perimeter around her.

"What are you?" she called in utter wonder, spinning in place to take in the lighted area.

Her hands suddenly slapped against her mouth. Real words! Not thoughts, but real words! And she had felt the slight stinging of her hands slapping against her mouth.

"How...?"

We said it before. Are you in our mind or are we in yours? Here, everything exists in sheer thought. We can make things as you want it here, alter your surroundings, to a point.

"To a point?" She was still having difficulty adjusting to this sudden change.

You must wake up eventually. This world cannot be too comfortable or you'll want to remain. Especially after HE arrives. His time here will be short, enough to be a reminder of your real existence to you, that he still needs you.

"He? He, who?" she demanded, losing patience.

"Jessie."

She froze. She knew that voice like she knew her own. Her mind reeled at the prospect of his presence.

No! Could he really be here, in my mind?

She turned slowly, hesitantly. There he stood, as awe struck and confused as she was. A wave of emotion, more powerful that she had ever felt before, struck her and struck her hard.

"Jonny."

In an instant she was in his arms, being crushed to his chest, their lips meeting hungrily. They dropped to the ground, still locked in the breathless embrace. They parted to breath, keeping each other's lips within easy reach. His hands traveled along her cheeks, her arms wrapping around him tightly.

"I was just thinking about you." he whispered against her lips. She smiled. "Am... Am I dreaming?"

Jessie wanted to cry, but she wasn't sure if it was out of sheer joy or the pain from the thought that this was all happening in her mind.

"I think... Yes, you are. It's the only way we can be together right now."

He looked at her almost as if he were memorizing her features, puzzlement in his eyes.

"You're in my head." she almost laughed.

"Always knew I'd get there someday." he chuckled. "What... What am I doing here?"

We brought you here.

Jonny turned sharply at the sound of the voice. "Why? Who are you?"

We are Guides to lead the lost back to the light, to lead the two back to being the whole. We brought you here to remind her why she must return and how hard she has to fight to do so. You are two halves that form the whole. We have watched your souls find each other over and over again through the centuries. Only you have been able to do this, we have found no one else.

"I don't understand." Jessie voiced for them both.

The light coalesced into images, both familiar and alien at the same time. Ancient warriors from the past stormed across the country side. The images seemed to follow one warrior in particular as he hacked away at enemies.

This is Ancient Spain. The Warriors attacking are Norsemen on a raid, the voice explained.

The focal warrior ran into a large hut and seemed to freeze in his tracks. The image shifted to reveal the point of a sword held towards the warrior. The wielder was a fiery redhead with blazing green eyes.

"Now why does that face look familiar?" Jonny grinned impishly. Jessie was too stunned to speak.

As they watched the warrior did something a Norseman wouldn't normally do. He removed his horned helm. Long blond hair fell around his shoulders, framing a pair of piercing blue eyes and a surprised/awed expression. The woman looked shocked as the sword point dropped to the floor.

Jessie couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up from her throat. "That would have probably been my reaction, too, to see you with long hair."

"Oh, ha, ha. Very funny." came his sarcastic reply.

The woman was Jasra, the Clan Leader's sole Daughter. The Warrior was Jonric, Leader of his tribe since the death of his Father. They were enemies from their birth, sworn to kill every member of the opposing Clan because of a long since forgotten wrong, but escaped their Clans to unite their lives. They had dreams of each other, soul memories if you will, passed down from reincarnation to reincarnation. They loved each other deeply from their first dream. They were you, thousands of years ago.

There were others following them, in Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, Medieval and Victorian England, and finally the Americas. Juno, Son of a slave, and Jona, Daughter of an Aristocrat; Jern, Son of a noble, and Jalna, an Amazon, Jonathan, a Pirate Captain, and Jessica, Daughter to a British naval fleet's Commander, Jeremy, an explorer, and Jennifer, a Duchess, Caroline, a noblewoman, and Jean, a Lord, and finally you, Jonny, Son of an eminent scientist, and Jessie, Daughter of an ex-Covert Operations Officer. Now, you must leave.

Jonny and Jessie held each other jealously, not wanting to lose each other just yet, but already the light was fading. He was beginning to vanish. All too soon he was gone. The light vanished. Strangely though, feelings intensified. Once muted sounds became louder.

What's that annoying beeping? Jonny, where are you? Jonny?

* * *

"No! Jessie!"

Jonny woke with a start, sitting up. For a split second he didn't recognize where he was. Then he remembered. This was Jessie's room on the Quest Compound. The dream had been so vivid, real. No, it hadn't been a dream. It had been real. He still had the feel of Jessie's body in his arms and against his chest. He leapt out of the bed, catching sight of the clock as he went running out of the room. 2:11 A.M. It was officially Christmas. He ran into Barry's room and shook his Cousin awake.

"Barry! Barry, wake up!"

"Go back to bed, Coz." he mumbled, rolling over. "It's a quarter past two in the morning! What wrong?"

"I need to get to the hospital, and I need to go now!"

"They won't let you in at this time."

"Barry...!"

"Alright, alright. Give me time to get dressed and we'll go."

It took Barry ten minutes to dress and get into the car where Jonny sat waiting. He drove his anxious, and strangely shaken, Cousin into town towards the Rockport General Hospital.

Before Barry could properly park the car, Jonny was already running for the front entrance. He raced passed the attending nurse's desk towards the ICU The nurse ran after him to stop him, calling on Security as she went. They tried blocking Jonny's path, but using the years of training he had gotten from Race Bannon he avoid capture easily and kept running. Barry was somewhere behind him, explaining what he believed was wrong to the attendants and the Security personnel. As Jonny neared his destination he could see doctors ahead of him running for the same room. All were speaking excitedly. He burst through the door, silencing the babbling voices in the process. They knew who he was. What surprised them all was the fact that he was here at that very moment. Through the silence he heard the heart monitor beeping strongly and one soft voice calling his name.

Jessie's voice!

He pushed his way through the crowd of doctors towards the bedside just as Barry, Addie, the hospital attendants, and Security arrived at the door.

"... Jon-... ny..." came her barely audible voice over and over again, her eyes still closed.

He sat on the bed's edge, taking her hand. Tears stung his eyes as he leaned down towards her. "I'm here, Jessie." he whispered in her ear.

She quieted as her eyes opened to thin slits. It was enough for her to see. The doctors again began to babble excitedly. She cracked a weak smile, her hand tightening on Jonny's. Relieved, he laughed and cried at the same time as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"Merry Christmas, Ace." he breathed and lightly pressed his lips to hers.

After a few hours of explaining and re-explaining Jonny's sudden appearance at the hospital, the doctors and others left the room. Jonny held her hand tightly, sitting on the edge of her bed, and watched her tired and pale features wake from the long coma. Her eyes opened a little more as a slight smile turned up the corners of her lips.

"How're you feeling?" he finally asked.

Her voice was a bare, hoarse whisper. "... Not bad... con-... sidering... I'm supposed to... be dead..." she chuckled, lacking breath from the coma. Looking up she saw the tired black circles under his eyes. Her eyes softened. "... And... you?..."

"I'm fine, Jess."

"... You... s- should... get some... sleep..."

"When you come home I will."

"... How're... you... handling... all this...?"

"I'm handling it about as well as last time."

"... That... bad, hun?..."

He laughed softly. Then, "Jess, did that dream we had last night, did it really happen? Did we really see what I think we saw?"

She thought for a moment, recollecting her muddled and sluggish thoughts, and nodded with a sweet smile.

"Two parts of the same whole. Kind of makes you feel strange, doesn't it?"

"... All... those lives... we... saw... They... were us..." She sighed a smile with a slight shake of her head. "... Wouldn't... want it... any-... other... way..."

Ever so tenderly he cupped her cheek, gliding his thumb across her cheek bone, and her eyes closed of their own accord from the gentleness of his touch, turning her face into his palm. "You should sleep now, get your strength up. We'll talk more later."

But, before she closed her eyes in sleep, "... Jonny?..."

"Yeah?"

"... Merry... Christmas..." and her eyes closed in much needed sleep.

When she next woke the first thing she was aware of was a hand gripping hers. Then, there were voices.

"She's fine, Estella. I was talking to her earlier this morning." she heard Jonny assure... her Mother?

"I'd be more reassured if I could talk to her. I wish you'd told me all this earlier."

"I did! The message I left on your machine dates to two hours after the accident, almost three weeks ago."

Jessie opened her eyes. "Mom...?"

Estella Velasquez seemed to jump and gripped her Daughter's other hand. "Oh, Sweetie, how're you feeling?"

"I'm okay, Mom." She even sounded stronger. "Sorry if I gave you guys a scare. Somebody help me sit up."

Estella went to the crank at the foot of her bed to raise the top half of the mattress at an angle as Jonny helped Jessie sit up comfortably. She winced and gritted her teeth in pain. She turned to Jonny when she recovered enough.

"Three weeks?" she croaked.

"To the day."

"Tell me what happened. I don't remember." She saw him hesitate, his expression falling. "Please, Jonny. I have a chunk of memory missing, a big black hole. I need to know." and she gave his hand a squeeze.

"I..." The look in her eyes quelled any argument and he sighed in surrender. He sat back on the edge of her bed. "You turned and stopped in the middle of a lane. A Buick Regal, driven by a Trevor Nigles, hit you and kept going." His voice began to hush. "There was nothing either me or you could have done to stop him." Then his voice became harsh. "I don't know how yet, but I know Maya's involved."

"What?"

"She knew the make of the car and the name of the driver even though they weren't released to the papers."

She quickly gripped his arms. "You will not do anything." she ordered. Then, at his puzzled expression, she smiled evilly as she lowered his voice. "We'll take care of her together, okay?"

He smiled in a conspiring manner. "Yes, M'ame."

Estella looked at them, completely lost from their conversation. "Somebody mind cluing me in here?"

Jessie giggled. "Long story you don't want to hear, Mom."

"Then how about your story." she retorted, indicating both of them.

They blushed. "You want to tell her, or should I?" Jonny smirked.

"I'll tell her. Mom,... um... Jonny and I have gotten... pretty close over the past five months."

"How close?" she grinned.

"Not that close, Mom."

She smiled. "Should've guessed from the way he didn't let go of your hand for a second. Had to happen sooner or later, and I must say I'm thrilled for the both of you."

She came up to sit behind Jonny and held him in a Motherly fashion. She had always liked Jonny. The few rare visits she paid to the Quest Compound and the times he spent at her dig sites had convinced her that he was a very honorable and fine young man. Perfect for her Jessie.

"So, when's the wedding?"

"Estella!" Jonny exclaimed.

"Mom!" Jessie nearly shouted. She was prevented though by the painful tightness in her throat from the coma.

"Easy, Sweetie. I'm just kidding. You're both still young and have your entire lives ahead of you. Ah, to be young again." They laughed at her reminiscent air, to which she frowned in mock annoyance. Then, "Hey, I have a great idea. If Jessie can't go home for Christmas then Christmas will come to her. You'd finished your shopping, right?"

"We'd just finished before--" He couldn't bring himself to continue. Just the thought of the accident brought the void back to his soul. Jessie took his hand in reassurance. He smiled at her, the void fading, before turning back to her Mother. "Everything should still be in the trunk of the Viper. Her's were the two red bags, mine the green ones."

Estella nodded and began moving towards the door. "I should be back in a few hours, just long enough to get everything ready and bring it back here." Then, with a wink, she was gone.

Jonny changed position to sit close to Jessie's side, an arm around her shoulders protectively. She rested her cheek to his chest. There they stayed in silence for several long minutes, enjoying each other's presence. She could hear his heart beating strongly.

"Now, there's a sound I missed." she grinned, laying her hand on his leg.

He smiled down at her. "What sound?"

"Your heart beat." In a painful move she pulled her knees to her chest. "Oh, bad idea." she groaned.

"Should be careful. You had a lot of broken bones."

"It feels like I still have a few. But, pain or no pain, I can't wait to walk again... so I can outrun you like usual." she quipped.

"Ha! As if." he retorted as a doctor walked into the room. "Doctor Raimy, hi." Jonny greeted.

The aging doctor raised his hazel eyes from the chart he was reading to smile at the young duo. "Ah, good afternoon, Mr. Quest. Still here I see."

Jonny hunched his shoulders at the comment and Jessie skimmed his cheek with the back of her fingers.

"So, Miss Bannon, I can see you're feeling much better. This was quite a miraculous recovery you had this morning."

"It's Christmas, a day for miracles." she replied.

"And in my line of work miracles can't be discounted. And you, Mr. Quest. How did you know to come here this morning just as she came out of her coma?"

"Let's just say the spirits moved me." Jessie began to chuckle at his reply.

"Miracles again, eh? In that case I won't question. Miss Bannon, I have you scheduled to begin physiotherapy in a week from now. I know that's early, but at your age I'm sure you can appreciate a speedy recovery. We'll have you up and walking in no time."

"I'd rather be up and dancing in no time." She turned to Jonny and gave him a sweet smile. "Specifically the Bolero."

He returned her smile, remembering what happened the last time they had danced the Bolero at the French Embassy. All the emotional walls had come crashing down in pleasant surprise.

"As soon as you're on your feet, Beautiful, I promise your first dance will be the Bolero." and he placed a gentle kiss on her temple.

"Promise?"

"No. Sworn on my life."

"I'm going to hold you to that one."

After a few seconds they turned to Raimy who had stood by patiently, a knowing smile on his face. The duo blushed shyly. Raimy shook his head with a low chuckle. "I understand both your Fathers are out of town. When are they supposed to return?"

"They said sometime beginning of March." Jonny replied.

"You know that I'm required by the Law to inform them on what happened."

"Yeah, I know. Go easy on them, they're getting on in years." Jessie squeezed his leg in a chiding manner as she chuckled. Raimy nodded a smile, took a last look at Jessie's chart, then left for his rounds. Jonny suddenly sighed heavily at a thought. "God, Race is going to want to kill me for this one."

"Not if I can help it, Hot Shot. There's no way I'm going to let Dad kill my boyfriend." They laughed softly before he suddenly stopped. She turned slightly to look up at him. He had a strange look on his face, his saddened eyes meeting hers. "What's wrong, Jonny?"

He averted his eyes suddenly. "Uh... Nothing."

She blinked, then began to smile evilly. "You'll tell me if I have to tickle it out of you." she threatened. A huff of laughter forced itself from his throat and he carefully wrapped both his arms around her perfect body. She snuggled closer, as much as her pain would allow. "Now, tell me."

He sighed. "I'm cursed, or should be."

"What?"

"The moment we're alone together something usually goes wrong. I mean, remember our first date and the incident with Surd."

"That wasn't your fault."

"No, but Race sure thought it was. I swear if he'd had his gun with him he would've shot me down right there and then. I'd seen him mad before, but he gave me the grilling of my life."

"I won't let it happen this time. Had I known back then he'd blow up I wouldn't have left you alone with him for a second." She turned in his arms to hold him close. "I really never meant for you to be hurt in any way, I swear."

"I know." he breathed in her hair.

"I love you too much to let you get hurt." she whispered. She felt his arms tighten around her and silently winced at the unintentional pain he was causing in her ribs.

He saw the wince nonetheless. "Sorry, Jess." and his grip relented somewhat, enough to relieve the pain.

"It's okay." and she patted his heart before sighing heavily. "God, I can't wait until I can get out of this hospital."

"What's the first thing you'd do?"

She smiled, flattening her hand against his heart. "I don't know. Maybe do a little shopping with Mom."

"Shopping?"

"Girl stuff. Maybe I'll go back to Victoria's Secrets."

He grinned lopsidedly. "My interest's peaked. Then what?"

"Try on my purchases."

"And do you want to be alone for that?" he probed playfully.

She pulled back slightly to stare deep into his blue eyes. Almost carefully she traced her fingers along his jaw line bringing her face closer to his. "Well, maybe not all alone." His lips brushed against hers in a feather like touch and she closed her eyes. "Make me forget the pain." she sighed into his mouth. Their lips met tenderly and their whole world seemed to melt away. Her pain seemed to vanish as they mutually explored each other's mouth at a very leisurely speed and his hand gently, rhythmically tightened on her nape. She held him tight, wanting the embrace to last an eternity.

"Get your hands off my Daughter!" came a shout from the door.

Jonny pulled away from Jessie rather quickly to take refuge on the other side of the bed. Jessie held her arms out defensively, wincing at the pain the sudden movement caused. "Dad, calm down!" she called to the new comer.

Race Bannon was straining against both Benton Quest and Hadji Singh's grip. Estella, Adelaide and Barry stood behind the three, arms laden with bags and food trays. Race's face was red with fury. "Let me go! I'm going to ring his neck for letting my baby get hurt!"

"If you don't calm down right now I'll call for Security to kick you out!" Jessie warned.

Race looked shocked. "You'd do that to me, Ponchita?"

"Oh, don't you Ponchita me, Dad. Bad enough you chewed him out last time I got hurt. I not about to let you repeat your over-protective Father routine." He visibly calmed at the threat. "Now, what are you three doing back so soon?"

"We finished ahead of schedule." Doctor Quest explained. "What happened to you?"

Jonny fidgeted and Jessie reached out to take his hand, pulling him close. He anticipated her question. "How many times must I relive that moment?" he mused sadly, placing a hand over his hurting heart.

She tugged on his other hand to force him to sit at her side, gently caressing his cheek. "It'll get easier, but I'll tell them." She turned to the others in the room with a resolute sigh. "Three weeks ago Jonny and I were downtown, finishing up our Christmas shopping. I still had one more thing to pick up across the street." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jonny try to hide his knowing grin. Then, almost immediately, it vanished as he realized what was coming next. "There wasn't any time to move. A Buick Regal came right at me. Next thing I knew I was waking up here."

Race frowned, doing the math in his head. "If the accident happened three weeks ago, then what're you still doing here?"

Estella took hold of Race's arm as Jonny continued. "She was in a coma until about three o'clock this morning, Race."

The newly returned trio registered total shock at this revelation. Benton Quest regarded Jessie almost critically. "Kind of strong to have just come out of a coma." he voiced.

Jessie merely grinned sheepishly. "As a Phenomenologist you can hardly discount the existence of miracles and related healings, can you, Doctor Quest?"

"No, I suppose not. Especially not today." he chuckled. He took her chart from the foot of her bed, as the others prepared the small in-hospital Christmas party, and read it over. "Being released in two days, physiotherapy in a week... I must say, Jessie, you were extremely lucky."

"Luck had nothing to do with it." she replied.

Jonny's arm had snaked around her shoulders again as she was handed a plastic cup of ginger ale. Her hand holding the cup trembled slightly and he reached over to hold it, and her hand, steady. "You okay?"

She nodded silently and looked up at him. "I think it's just that it's finally sinking in."

"Now you know a fraction of how I felt." and he gently kissed her temple.

Hadji saw the gesture and approached the duo, sitting at Jessie's other side. "I see it has finally happened between you." he voiced with a grin.

Jonny sighed in what seemed exasperation. "What is it with this finally?" he demanded to the ceiling.

Jessie chuckled, then looked to the young Sultan. "Then, you're not mad?" she asked innocently. Jonny eyes mirrored the question.

"Never, my friends. I was jealous when I first noticed the signs between you, but only for a little while."

"On a different note. Metaphysical question for you, Hadj. What do you know about this each person having half a soul thing?" Jonny asked of him.

"It is an Ancient Greek belief. They believed that the soul was cleaved in two by Zeus himself upon creation and then each half set out on the journey to find its other half. It is said that very few souls find their other halves, their soul mates if you will."

"And what about the Guides?"

"The Guides? Little is known of them. Do not tell me you have met them?"

"Do you know something about them?" The young Sultan nodded. "Oh, good. What the Hell are they?"

"Spirits, playful imps. No one has been able to give a better definition. Their sole purpose, no pun intended, in life and death seems to be to decide who should find their other halves and who shouldn't from one reincarnation to the next. There are legends that say they have watched over only six couples in all of Earth's history starting with a Norseman Warrior and a woman from Hispania."

"Jonric and Jasra." supplied Jessie.

Hadji looked stunned that she knew. "How did you...?"

"The Guides told-- no, showed us. They also added something about all those people, the six couples, were us at one time, our past reincarnations."

"Enough metaphysics." Barry announced as he handed the last cups of ginger ale to the gathered members, then raised his plastic cup in the air. "We're all here, we're all together, and, most of all, we're all alive."

Jonny raised his glass high, tightening his arm around Jessie's shoulders. "I'll drink to that, Coz. To life." They all took up the toast as he leaned in closer to her ear. "And to love." he whispered tenderly.

With a slight shiver from his warm breath against her ear she turned to look into his eyes, raising her own cup. "To love." she whispered back, touching her cup to his, and then they drank.

"That reminds me. Hadj, pass me my coat."

The young Sultan did so and Jonny began to fish in his coat pockets. With his fist closed around something he grinned at Jessie.

"Thought you might want this back." and he let the green stone pendant dangle from it's chain.

Startled, her hand went to her throat, thinking her pendant was still there. Sure enough it was gone. He cinched it around her throat and she pressed it against her heart in gratitude.

"Thank you, Jonny." and she placed a chaste kiss against his lips, much to the astonishment of the newly returned trio and Estella, and much to Race's dismay.

* * *

Jessie sat in her hospital bed doing some minor stretching exercises to help pass the time. In four hours she would be allowed to go home, but until then she was bored out of her mind. Two days ago, at Christmas, her Mother had offered her a flannel jumpsuit. She was wearing it now, anything to have gotten out of the uncomfortable hospital issue nightgown. She flopped back down on her pillow and stared around the empty, Spartan room. She couldn't wait to see more familiar surroundings back at the Quest Compound. She toyed with her pendant as she suddenly began counting the tiles on her ceiling. She now understood the way her boyfriend had felt when he had been trapped in the hospital, in traction, for two months.

"So, how many are there?" came Jonny Quest's voice from the doorway.

"Four hundred six."

She turned to smile at him, beckoning him over to her side with an outstretched hand. He smiled and took her hand, giving it a slight squeeze. His hand was still cold from the weather outside. He wore blue jeans and a white denim shirt under his leather winter jacket. On his feet were brown hiking boots, wet from melting snow. Over his shoulder was a black knapsack that bulged from its contents.

"Tell me that bag has something more interesting than tile counting."

He sat on the bed's edge, placing the book bag over his knees. "Everything you asked for, Gorgeous. Your coat, hiking boots, mitts, a brush, hair clip and elastic, two mirrors... I still don't get why you need two mirrors." he frowned.

"So I can see the back of my head when I'm done, Silly. Help me out?" and she held the brush out to him.

He took it, sat behind her, and began to carefully brush the tangles from her fiery hair. He helped her make a small ponytail on the crown of her head with part of her hair, tying it off with the hair clip, then proceeded to braid it all together.

"Is it cold outside?" she asked, endeavoring for small talk.

He shrugged as he finished. "No more than usual. Lots of sun so it should warm up before you get out of here. There is a warning of a snow storm, but it doesn't show yet. You still going shopping with Estella this afternoon?"

"Yes." She smiled at him from over her shoulder. "I have something to make up for." He returned the smile and gently kissed her nape, causing her to shiver pleasantly. "Where're the others anyway?"

"Race'll be here in a little bit. The doctors just want him to finish signing some paperwork. Hadji and Estella're with him to help him make sense of all that technical jargon. Dad's helping Addie and Barry at home, something about a big New Year's bash. They'll be here in about an hour."

"My, so many people just to see little ol' me out of the hospital."

"You're an important part in all our lives."

"Some more than others." she purred, leaning back against his chest. "D'you make a New Year's resolution yet?"

"Summed up in two words. Carpe Diem."

"'Seize the day'. Is there a reason for that particular resolution?"

He sighed as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I was just thinking... We wasted so much time tiptoeing around our feelings for each other. I don't want to lose another second."

She smiled slightly. "The Guides had said something like that to me, that we wasted time. Kind of makes you wonder what we missed."

"Too much. What about you, Love, what's your resolution?"

Her smile broadened at his use of the name Love to refer to her. "Nope. You're going to have to wait and see; maybe later on tonight if you're real good; and on New Year's; definitely on Valentine's Day; maybe Easter; definitely the 4th of July, you know, start our own fireworks; Halloween again; and definitely Christmas next year."

"So many occasions to find out." he grinned.

"And..." She chose her words carefully. "... most assuredly on our honeymoon."

"Our...?" He suddenly laughed and squeezed her close. "You're letting that promise ring get to your head." and he lifted her hand to get another look at the ring on her finger.

It was a gold band with two intertwined hearts, a small sapphire set in the center of one and an emerald set in the center of the other. He had offered it to her at Christmas, not long after their parents had left the room. He suddenly got a sly thought.

"Do I have to wait for those specific days to find out your resolution?" came his coy inquiry as he laced his fingers with hers.

She chuckled softly, turning in his arms, and traced his lower lip with her finger. "You might get more opportunities, if you make it worth my while." she murmured with a sweet smile.

He ginned lopsidedly. "I think I can guess what your resolution is."

He pulled her close, claiming her lips momentarily. She then nuzzled her head beneath his chin as he held her tight. Race, Estella and Hadji arrived within moments. Doctor Quest, Addie and Barry came almost an hour later. Hadji sat at his friends' sides, sharing a knowing look, a look of slight dread.

"You have decided to tell them?" he asked them softly.

"It's for the best." Jonny replied.

"Alright, what're you three planning?" Race suddenly demanded.

They looked at the adults, then Jessie spoke. "We all have something to tell you. It dates back some two years." Puzzled and intrigued the adults settled in to listen. "I don't know if you remember, but back then, in the summer, we took the Questor II to go to Nova Scotia."

"I remember you three returning and being extremely quiet about your trip." Benton voiced.

"For a good reason, Dad. Something happened on the trip up. We ran aground an island that wasn't on any chart. All the nav computers went down at the same time we hit a pea soup fog."

The young Sultan took up from there. "At that moment we encountered the island's sole inhabitant, a Mr. Paul Mornay. As it turned out, he and the island were ghostly apparitions. It was his way to set wrongs right again. We also saw the island's ghosts, Lady Caroline and Jean Leger. Jessie was possessed by Caroline's spirit and disappeared from sight."

"I found her at a pond and she talked to me as if I was Jean Leger. Turns out Caroline had killed Jean in a fit of jealous insanity because of a letter to a shop girl he had written. His ghost killed her later on."

"As Caroline I attacked Jonny, thinking he was Jean. We fought and Jean, I guess to even the odds, possessed Jonny."

"They continued to fight as Caroline and Jean until Paul Mornay and I arrived. We managed to talk some sense into them where upon Caroline apologized to her fiancé. He, in turn, asked her forgiveness. That is when they..." Hadji looked to his friends in uncertainty.

"That's when we..." Jonny found that he, too, could not continue. It was easier to tell their friends then their parents.

"Well, what happened?" demanded Estella.

Jessie took a deep breath and looked at the adults. "Jonny and I kissed."

Race had a violent start at this revelation, but managed to control himself at the stern look he received from Estella. Jessie had long ago told her about this incident. Addie and Barry merely chuckled silently. Benton had a grin working at the corners of his mouth as he gave his Son a thoughtful look.

"It wasn't you though. You were possessed." Benton stated, prompting them to continue. He knew there was more.

Jonny hunched his shoulders, knowing the more Race knew the deeper Jonny's grave would be, but his Father was right with his prompting.

"There's more." he admitted.

Race's face was beginning to turn red with rage. Hadji gave his two friends a puzzled look. He didn't know about the more part.

"We... didn't exactly tell you everything that happened on that night back in August when we tracked in all that mud. We did end up tackling each other, but we stayed outside a little longer than we said for a game of mud tag. Before, and after, we came back in we kissed and..."

He knew this next piece of information could send Race charging for his throat. Mentally he braced himself for the blow.

"... Jessie ended up spending the night in my room... with me." he quickly blurted out.

As he had foreseen, Race shot to his feet and began his charge at Jonny.

"Nothing happened, Daddy!" Jessie quickly defended, bolting as upright as she could get to shield her boyfriend. Race looked at her, waiting furiously for an explanation. "We... We just needed to be together that night. You know how it is, right?"

Race was seething, but he valiantly fought back his Fatherly urges to ring Jonny's neck, for Jessie's sake. "Was that the only time anything like that happened?" The duo looked at each other, silently questioning each other on how much they should tell him. "I'll take that look as meaning no. When else?"

"Um... well, there were the times when we danced the Bolero and the Mambo." she replied.

"And things began getting kind of intense that time in Peru at Estella's dig."

"On the night after the Halloween Dance we almost got out of control."

"And at the White House..."

Benton leapt to his feet. "The White House!? Jonny, Jessie, how could you?"

They both looked away, sheepishly. "Love's a wave you have to ride out when it hits." was his Son's only reply. "But it's only gotten serious between us in the last five months."

Race was becoming livid. "Five months! You kept your relationship hidden for five months!" he nearly shouted.

"Because we both knew this was how you'd react, Dad. You have to let me grow up sometime."

"I'll think about it."

"Dad, this is not up for debate."

"Just don't want my little girl to be taken advantage of."

"Hardly. I can take care of myself. Besides, Jonny and I talk. We discuss things and come to agreements..."

"... Have mutual respect?" probed Estella.

A lopsided grin turned up the corners of Jonny's lips. "That's what kept us from going any farther than we have. I have too much respect for Jessie to ruin it all by doing something we might regret in the long run."

"Sounds like you two really thought all this through." Benton stated in some visible astonishment.

Jessie turned to smile at Jonny before turning back to the adults. "We both want this to work."

"You could almost say we promised it to each other." Jonny concluded as his thumb skimmed over the promise ring on her finger.

Soon after the doctor returned with her release papers and a wheelchair. She bundled herself up in her coat and allowed her Father to lift her off the bed to seat her in the wheelchair, but it was Jonny who actually wheeled her out of the hospital to Estella's car. He even sat her in the front passenger seat. Addie sat in the back seat. The men would go back to the Compound as the women would do some bonding through shopping. After a few tense moments of silence from Race, Jonny finally got him to crack a smile by promising to treat Jessie like a Queen at every second of the day until she threatened to deck him. Jonny suspected it was the part about him getting decked by Jessie that got Race to smile. The thought amused him too. Long hours passed in quiet inaction as the sounds of the wind steadily grew in intensity. The sky had even begun to cloud over. To everyone it seemed as if Jonny was waiting patiently, but that thought disappeared when the car returned some time after 7:30 PM. He was the first to race out the door to meet them and held Jessie up in his arms as if an eternity had gone by since he had last held her.

"Took you long enough." he voiced as she giggled in his arms, snuggling close to him to try to avoid the frigid wind.

Estella had a conspiring smile on her face. "We had to make one more stop before coming home. She still had one last thing to buy."

He looked down at his girlfriend. "Really?" His tone implied he knew what the item in question was.

"Yes, really." she replied. "I'll show you later tonight, okay?... when everyone's asleep." She added the last part as a whisper with a wink.

"Can't wait." he grinned.

He carried her into the house, as Barry retrieved the wheelchair from the trunk of the car, and set her down on the couch. Outside the snow was beginning to fall, kicked up into a maelstrom by the gusting winds. The adults greeted Jessie warmly, fussing over her as Jonny chuckled nearby.

"Arrgh! Enough already! All of you, out! Out, before I put you all in the hospital to replace me! Out!!" This caused Jonny to double over in hysterics.

Race frowned at him. "Watch it, bleach head." he warned as Jonny struggled to become serious again.

"Hey! No one calls him bleach head but me." Jessie scolded. Then the adults left. When Jonny was about to move away to sit in another chair she kept a hold on his hand. She smiled sweetly, giving his arm a tug. "No, you're not going anywhere." He relented with a knowing grin. She moved forward enough for him to sit behind her, then she leaned against his chest in a semi-lounging position, his arm wrapped around her waist. He rested his foot on the couch's cushion edge to make her more comfortable. A few quiet minutes went by. "Feels good to finally be home." she breathed blissfully, closing her eyes as she listened to the quiet and his heart beat.

His hand toyed with a lock of her flame red hair as he brushed his lips against her temple. "Well, you sure made yourself feel at home."

"You complaining?" she grinned, a shiver racing down her spine from his breath against her skin.

"Hell, no!" he chuckled. "You can make yourself as comfortable as you want. I've waited three weeks for you to wake up just to bring you home again."

She looked at her fidgeting hands, a sad look coming over her face. "And in that time I never got to give you your real Christmas present."

"You waking up was enough of a Christmas present. You giving yourself a guilt trip?"

She smiled sheepishly, not looking up. "Maybe."

"Don't. Only one person having a guilt trip at a time allowed in this house and I'm still living mine."

She turned enough to face him and began to toy with one of the buttons of his shirt. "Seems we live in guilt more often than naught." She looked up into the blue depths of his eyes and smiled. "What say we make a clean start of it all. Another New Year's resolution starting now. No more guilt, no more pain. We pick up from where we left off and forget what happened."

Jonny gave her his trademark lopsided grin. "Forget what?" and he leaned in towards her, claiming her lips in a warm embrace. She, more than willingly, returned the kiss. He let his hand slip beneath the hem of her shirt, gently touching the smooth skin of her waist in a feather like glide. He allowed himself a small, triumphant smile when he felt her suddenly shiver from the touch. "If the resolution's what I think it is I don't know if I can wait until tonight." he sighed against her lips.

"You'll have to, unless you want the others to see us." she breathed. Then, grinning, "Kind of kinky when you think about it."

He frowned a smirk. "Sick, too, if they end up watching. But I'm worried about something for tonight."

She began to giggle at an evil thought. "Performance?"

He had to chuckle. "No." Then, with a wicked smile, "I'm never worried about that."

She laughed outright. "You're becoming Mr. Confident personified." she accused.

He gave her a pained look, grinning. "You're condemning me without a trial." Then his features became serious. "But seriously, this is kind of important."

"What?" she asked. He leaned his head back against the couch's backrest and Jessie could see he was struggling with the right words. That's when she understood what he was referring to. "Already been taken care of, Handsome. What do you think that little packet was the doctor gave me?"

He grinned. "Always one step ahead of me."

"Somebody has to." and she favored him with a sultry smile. Barking suddenly filled the Family Room as Bandit came bounding in. With a flying leap he landed squarely on Jessie's chest and licked at her face. "Bandit! Stop it, you dumb mutt!" she laughed from his unintentional tickle attack. "I'm happy to see you too! Hey! Jonny, call him off!"

"Can't. I already called him Bandit." he joked.

"Jonny!"

"Okay, okay. Bandit, stop." The little white Pit bull sat back on his haunches and regarded Jessie, his tongue lolling out. Meanwhile, she was busy wiping at her face with her shirt sleeve. "Better?"

"Much, thank you. Ugh! I'm really going to need that bath later on."

"I might join you." he breathed coyly in her ear and she giggled.

Before anything else could be said or done, there came a tremendously strong gust of wind and all the mansion's lights went out. Bandit yelped and leapt to the floor shortly before Jessie pressed herself closer to Jonny in shock. His arms held her close.

"What happened?"

She couldn't see him grin in mischief. "I'm not sure. I could be mistaken, but I think the lights went out."

"Jerk." she giggled.

"The power lines're down and the generator blew. It'll take most of tomorrow to fix it. Alright, if you two're making out right now, I want you to quit it before I start up the fireplace. I don't want to see it." came Race's voice through the pitch black.

"Thanks for the idea, Race."

"Keep your hands off her, Wise Guy. Not until I shed a little light on the matter." There was a small spark as a match was struck and within moments the fireplace roared to life with a warm fire. That's when Race turned to the duo on the couch. Jonny had his hands on the back of his head in a classic waiting to be handcuffed pose. Jessie was lounging comfortably, leaning on his chest. "You two got comfortable right quick."

Jonny pointed down at Jessie. "Actually, she did. I'm just her pillow."

"You saying you're not comfortable?" she asked.

"Never said that."

"Implied."

"Retracted. Apology?"

"Accepted, of course." and she lightly warmed his lips with her own before smiling at him.

Race looked confused. "Was that a fight?"

The two teens looked at each other for a moment, then back at Race. ""Yes."" they replied nonchalantly.

Race shook his head. "Man, you two have really got it bad."

"Funny, that's what Barry said two months ago." Jonny smirked.

Estella walked in with a large flashlight in hand. "Well, I haven't carried you in a few years, but I think I can manage. Ready for a bath?"

But, before Jessie could sit up, Jonny gripped her shoulders to bring her ear close to his lips. "I'll set things up in your room." he whispered.

She grinned knowingly as her Mother began carrying her upstairs to the bathroom. As she readied herself she sent her Mother to retrieve her special purchase. She set the bag in the bathroom and left as Jessie soaked in the tub's hot water. She scrubbed and shampooed vigorously until she felt truly clean once again. Jessie wanted to feel her best for later that night. She thought she heard the doorbell downstairs, but dismissed the thought. Long minutes later, after she had soaked in the warm water to her liking, she emerged, dried off and put on her purchase. She could only raise herself as high up as on her knees, but even that was painful. Behind the bathroom door was a large, full length mirror in which she looked herself over in the new... outfit. A giggle forced itself from her throat as she realized her Father would probably be very steamed if he ever found this outfit, but then a blush colored her skin at the thought of Jonny's reaction. He would love this and, most probably, love seeing her in it. She put on the short, light silk robe that had come with her purchase before putting on her heavier bath robe. She called for her Mother and was carried into her room. Estella stopped just within the door, causing Jessie to look around in awe.

"Jonny did all this?"

There were candles placed in strategic areas all around her room, fifty in all, casting a soft glow on everything. Red rose petals were scattered on her bed sheets and a bouquet of a dozen blood red roses lay on her pillow. The odor of comfrey and juniper scented candles and roses permeated the room pleasantly. A warmth, unlike anything she had ever felt before, invaded her soul.

"The boy is completely crazy about you." Estella marveled, depositing Jessie on the center of the bed. Before any answer could be given her Mother quickly left, a smile on her face. Jessie caught sight of her wind-up clock on her night stand. 8:35 PM.

Looking at the bouquet of roses Jessie noticed a small folded piece of paper. The words, look under your pillow, Ace and call me were neatly scrawled in Jonny's handwriting on the inside of it. She frowned, slightly puzzled, and reached under her pillows, pulling out a radio communication head set. A smile tugged at her lips as she understood this message. She removed her heavier bathrobe and then placed the head set over her head. "Ace to Hot Shot, you read me?"

"Loud and clear, Ace." came Jonny's voice from the ear piece. She could tell he was smiling. "So, what do you think?"

She gave the room another long, appreciative look. "I think, despite the macho persona you like flaunting around so much, at heart you are a hopeless romantic."

She heard him laugh. "Guilty as charged. Hey, I don't hear any music over there."

"Duh, the power's out."

He chuckled. "I put batteries in your CD player, genius. The remote should be on your left." She looked and sure enough it was on her night stand. She picked it up. "It's already programmed. Turn it on." he urged.

She did with a smirk. Toni Braxton's voice singing Breath Again softly spilled out of her speakers. Her smiled widened, silently thankful that all the rooms had long ago been sound proofed during the house's re-building, then an incredible rush of warmth, stronger than she had felt previously, invaded her as she realized another good reason why she was thankful for the sound proofing. "Mood music?" she asked coyly, not able to hide the arousal in her voice.

He heard the different tone in her voice and breathed a soft chuckle. "Mood enhancing music. No harm in a little of that, now is there."

"No, no harm at all. Question."

"What?"

"When did you get the roses?"

"I ordered them when you were in town with your Mom and Addie. You like?"

"I love them, thank you. I think all women are suckers for men who give them roses." She picked one up, gently brushing it against her lips, then noticed something on the stem. Or rather, the lack of something. "You had them all de-thorned!"

"Couldn't let you prick yourself to death."

"This must have cost you a fortune."

He made a dismissive sound at the statement. "You're worth it, Jess."

A pleasant shiver raced down her spine all the way to her toes. "Romantics of the world, watch out. Here comes Jonny Quest to claim the throne."

"I'd like to thank the Academy..." and they both laughed.

"So, when are you coming over?" Her voice had dropped to a low, sultry hush.

He breathed a soft chuckle. "As soon as Race falls asleep. If he sees me heading over to your room right now you'll be short one boyfriend."

"Never known you to back away in the sight of a little danger in any given situation. Kind of makes things more... oh, what's the word I'm looking for?... exciting." She breathed the last word to emphasize it. He chuckled again, in understanding.

At this new song had started to play on her CD player, still from Toni Braxton's album. "Oh, wait, he just closed his door. I think that's my cue I hear. Be right over."

There was a click as he turned off his head set. She removed her head set, letting it carefully slip down to the floor to join her thick bathrobe, and began listening to the music he had called his cue. It was Candlelight. Oh, how appropriate, she smiled.

"Lonely in bed,

At night,

And it never feels alright.

I toss and turn,

Each night,

'Til the morning light.

But just the thought of you

Sends chills up and down my spine.

Just knowing you'll be here real soon makes everything alright.

Candlelight."

Jonny silently opened the door and snuck in quickly, carefully shutting it again. He only wore the cotton pants to his pyjamas. In a painful move Jessie kneeled up, her short silk robe, emerald green in color, falling open in the process. He turned and froze at the sight of her. Her flaming red hair, cascading around her shoulders, seemed to capture the fires of every single candle in the room. Her green eyes twinkled brightly, their color rivaled only by the robe and the short, silk negligee of the same color she wore. The words of the song's chorus bore deeply into her heart at his stunned reaction.

"Candlelight,

It makes it special.

Me and you on a rare occasion.

Candlelight,

A special night.

Seeing you is a sweet sensation."

The rest of the song seemed to fade in the background as he came to her side, taking her offered hands. He was still looking her over in stunned disbelief when he sat at her side. She loved the feel of his eyes traveling all over her. "You look absolutely beautiful." he breathed in awe.

She blushed shyly, getting off her knees to be more comfortable, keeping herself close to him. "I was hoping you'd like it."

"Like it? I'm... I'm... I'm floored!"

She giggled softly, her breathing becoming more rapid, and leaned towards him slightly. "Why, Mr. Quest, have we suddenly developed a silver tongue of the nineties?"

He leaned in towards her as well, a grin on his face. "What say we find out, Miss Bannon."

She continued to giggle as his lips met hers, lightly at first, then heatedly, the songs chorus wrapping around them both. Slowly, sensuously, he explored her mouth as his hands came to rest on her shoulders. Her hand caressed his cheek, her touch light and teasing. She felt her silk robe slip off her shoulders, his hands following it down her arms to finally settle on her waist, pulling her closer.

"Memories of you,

Your arms baby, squeezing me close to you heart.

Shadows in the dark baby,

Of you,

Loving, kissing every part.

And knowing we can share it all and still be,

Still be free,

For each and every magic moment will last for eternity.

Candlelight"

He gently eased her down to her mattress, covering her with his own body, his hands traveling over her body. Silently, Jessie thrilled at the whole situation. Jonny released her mouth, his lips slowly traveling down the length of her throat, kissing the hollow between her collar bones. Her skin smelled and tasted of strawberries. She whimpered his name, almost coaxing him on, unconsciously arching up to him. He followed the plunging neckline of her negligee down with his lips and tongue, inter-spacing gentle nips on her smooth skin, then raised himself above her to see his results. She was completely breathless, her skin was taking on a deep blush. Her eyes glistened in the dim light, half open in ecstasy.

"And my love for you will never fade away.

I'll save a special spot for you baby,

Always.

Don't you know my heart had made for you

a special place.

Oh, don't you know, don't you know, don't you know baby,

Call on me,

When you want me,

When you need me,

I'm here for you"

She suddenly grinned. "I take back everything I said earlier about performance." she breathed as she slid her hands down along his chest. "You kiss by the book." she quoted from Romeo and Juliette.

"Then, pray, give me back my sin." he replied. He returned her grin and kissed her lips in a teasing fashion. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she forced him to his back. She beamed down at him as she straddled his waist, her pain suddenly forgotten as she drowned in the limpid pools that were his eyes.

"My turn." she chuckled playfully, lacing her fingers with his to keep his arms pinned at either side of his head.

"Candlelight.

It makes it special.

Me and you on a rare occasion.

Candlelight.

A special night.

Seeing you is a sweet sensation."

Her lips traveled from his mouth down his throat, torturingly slow, and then inter-spaced tender kisses all across his chest, her hair adding to the torture when it brushed against his skin like thousands of tiny fingers. Jonny tightened his hands on hers as she nipped at his chest, struggling to keep some form of self-control, biting his lower lip until he tasted his own blood. She had utter control over him, she was the aggressor. And he reveled in every second of it. She smiled when she suddenly felt him begin to tremble. Jessie knew she too was trembling, trembling in anticipation. When her lips returned to claim his, tasting his blood, he suddenly flipped her over to her back, pressing her down to the mattress with his own body. She was very acutely aware of his hands slowly easing the thin straps of her negligee over her shoulders. She sat up suddenly, breaking the contact, breathing deeply to slow her heartbeat.

He sat up as well and gently touched her shoulder. "Jessie...?" he whispered, breathless as well. "If you want us to stop...?" She grinned at this. He was giving her a way out if she wanted it. She could take it and he would let her, even if it would be incredibly hard on him.

"Candlelight.

It makes it special.

Me and you on a rare occasion.

Candlelight.

A special night.

Seeing you is a sweet sensation."

She shook her head and turned it slightly to smile an incredible smile at him. What she did next literally took his breath away. Her hands gripped the hem of the negligee and, in one fluid movement, she removed it only to toss it to the ground. Then she turned to him, almost as if she were presenting herself to him. His blue eyes widened slightly at her actions, then drank in her body's every perfect curve in the dim candlelight. "... Beautiful..." he breathed in a soft whisper.

She draped her arms on his shoulders to bring him closer to herself. "No more words." she whispered against his lips as she pulled him down to the mattress with her. Her skin felt on fire where it came in contact with his. He pulled her thick blankets over them both, then pressed his warm hands against her ribs, near her breasts. Her voice dropped to a near hush, trembling slightly in anticipation. "No more holding back. Make love to me, Jonny."

Jessie wasn't quite sure when it was exactly that he rid himself of his pyjama pants, not that she was worried. His hard shaft brushed her opening, sensitizing her every nerve ending with an almost electric shock. Then he was in her. She arched up to him unconsciously, pleasantly surprised at how incredible this felt. This was what she wanted and she knew he wanted this too or he would have never gone to the lengths he had. All she was aware of at that moment in time was the sensational love he was making to her. Never had either of them felt anything comparable to that moment. Every thrust brought about new sensations, each more intense than the first. When they felt neither of them could take much more of the intense emotions and sensations, everything came to a fierce, shuddering release. They swallowed each other's cries, holding each other tight. He felt as if he was being drained all the way from his toes.

Panting for breath, as he collapsed atop of her, she murmured a steady litany of, "Oh God, oh God, oh God."

Jonny kissed the side of her neck tenderly. "I love you, Jessie." he breathed, loud enough for her to hear.

She managed a weak, elated smile. "I love you, Jonny." She wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping his face pressed to the crook of her neck. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest, slowing slightly. She gently threaded her fingers through his hair and kissed his brow. This was how she had always wanted it to be. "I want to hold on to this feeling forever." she sighed blissfully.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

The question held such innocence that it caused her to smile at the thought it gave her. "No, you were simply incredible."

He laughed and raised up to look her in the eyes. "Now I know I love you." Then he smirked. "And you weren't so bad yourself."

With a short laugh she cupped his face to gently claim his lips. "I love you." she breathed into his mouth.

"Love you more." he grinned.

"Not possible." she grinned. He shifted his weight to get off her, but her knees locked at his hips to hold him. "Stay. Please."

He smirked. "You might get tired of me."

She held his head against her shoulder, holding him tight, possessively. "I could never tire of you, not after this." she whispered. Jessie felt him smile against her skin as his arms tightened around her. With his comforting weight pressing down on her body she felt herself begin to doze. She smiled contentedly and let sleep come.

* * *

January 7th. Jonny Quest climbed the stairs to the mansion's second floor, worry etched into his features. His girlfriend, Jessie Bannon, had returned from physiotherapy some two minutes ago with her Mother and his Aunt. He had not been able to be with her, his Father needed all the men on the Compound to move some heavy equipment from the Lab to the Dragonfly. He remembered having apologized profusely to Jessie to which she had forced a grin and patted his cheek in forgiveness. She didn't laugh and the grin hadn't reached her eyes. He had wondered about that all through the loading and as he trudged through the snow from the Lab to the mansion. Estella had cornered Jonny as he re-entered the house and told him Jessie had been unusually quiet the whole trip to her physiotherapist and back. She had only broken the silence to ask to stop at the pharmacy for a few things, but then had lapsed back into her silence.

This worried him.

Usually she was bubbling with excitement when she returned from these sessions because it meant she was a day closer to walking on her own again. Reaching her door he knocked gently, then opened it. She was sitting on the center of her bed amidst numerous magazines and books. The last of the roses he had given her were in a crystal vase on her night stand. She was wearing a thick, white sweater and a pair of jeans. Her fiery red hair fell in long rivers about her shoulders. Her green eyes looked up when he walked in. Again she didn't smile. He sat next to her on her bed and took her hands.

"You okay?" he asked.

She nodded, then sighed heavily. "We need to talk."

"Sure, what about?"

"We... might have a problem... Tell me something, Jonny, have you ever thought about having kids?"

He blinked, taken aback. "Uh... Yeah, someday. It'd be nice to have maybe one or two kids." Before he could ask the reason for this line of questioning he looked at the books and magazines strewn across her bed. What the...? Baby Names, Baby Care, Expecting Mother: A Complete Guide? "Uh... Jess, I'm almost afraid to ask here, but what is all this?"

She smiled sheepishly. "I'm a week and a half late."

He stared, lost for a moment. "Late? Late for...?" Then it hit him like a brick. "What!?" he almost shouted.

Her hand quickly covered his mouth as he hunched his shoulders, understanding the need for silence. Both of them saw Race pass the open door in the hall outside.

"Shh. Not so loud."

"Sorry. You said it was safe."

"I thought it was. I could have been wrong."

"But, are you sure about this?"

"No, but we will be in about two minutes. God! This suspense is going to kill me." He stretched out on his stomach, facing the door, and started flipping through one of the books with a groan. She leaned on his back, her chin on his shoulder to read along with him. "How're we going to tell the others, without having Dad kill us in the process?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"We'll figure something out, we usually do. And don't worry about Race killing you. After hearing the news the only dead one will be me and you know it. You are his baby, after all."

She chuckled. "Wouldn't be that bad, having kids that is. I always fancied the idea of being a Mother, either having a Daughter, or a Son,... or twins.

"Twins!? Don't know about that. Two little monsters running around driving everyone nuts. Not to mention that they probably inherit our uncanny knack for getting into trouble."

"Speak for yourself, Mr. Adventurer. If I remember right we had to come to your rescue at every turn."

He chuckled. "Like you're any better. I'm starting to think we're going to have to get you a kidnap me T-shirt. You really like the idea of being a parent, don't you?"

She nodded. "You?"

"Sure, but..." He sighed and shook his head. "Don't know if I'm cut out to be Daddy material."

"Yeah, right." she countered, tightening her arms around him. "Look at you and Mica. You'll be a great Dad."

"Naw, the only good parent between the two of us will be you. Think we can deal with it?"

"Hey, if we can deal with saving the world every other week we can handle being parents. Though, I think I wouldn't be able to deal with the getting as big as a whale. It'll be like carrying a bowling ball in my stomach for nine months. Then, there's giving birth."

He fought against the laughter bubbling up in him as he finished reading a paragraph and rolled to his back. She laid her cheek to his chest. "There's worse. Says here you'll go through mood swings that'll make PMS look like a walk in the park. You deal with getting huge, we'll have to deal with you being sweet one moment and a barracuda the next." She slapped his chest as they both laughed. Then, after a moment, "How much time left?"

She looked at her watch and then reached for her crutches on the floor next to her bed. "It's time." They walked the short distance to the bathroom where she turned to him. "Go on downstairs. I'll come down and tell you the results."

"You sure you don't want me to stay?"

"I'll be okay. Go on."

He could only nod due to the almost painful lump forming in his throat. Jonny waited just long enough for her to enter the bathroom before continuing on down the hall. Estella waited for him at the bottom of the stairs. "So, is she alright?" she asked.

"I think so. She needed to talk."

"And she couldn't tell me?"

"It kind of involved me too. She'll be down in a bit."

They entered the kitchen, where all the other family members had gathered, and he sat at the table. He was vaguely aware of the others talking around him while he toyed with the glass of cola before him. How was he going to break the news to them all if Jessie came down saying the test was positive? Race was joking with Estella not far away. Jonny watched them for a moment. Race would probably lunge at his throat at the news. Then he saw his Father stiffen at something he saw at the door. Jonny turned. There stood Jessie, holding on to the wall, but where were her crutches? For the first time in a long while he couldn't read her expression and it worried him. What worried him even more was the fact that she had come downstairs in seemingly such a rush that she left her crutches behind.

He stood slowly. "Jess...?"

She motioned him over and, when he stood in front of her, "It was negative." she stated in a hushed voice. "It started."

He gripped her shoulder at the sight of tears forming in her eyes. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I... I don't know." He pulled her against himself, holding her tight in comfort. She willingly let herself be comforted, silent tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Jonny, what's going on?" Race suddenly demanded.

Jonny looked at him, still holding Jessie to his chest. He looked at all the gathered faces and then back down at Jessie. He shook his head suddenly. "Ask me again sometime." and, supporting her, he led Jessie back upstairs to her room. Hadji followed close behind. "You don't have to follow, Hadj." he told his friend as all three of them entered Jessie's room.

"I do if I wish to learn what this is all about. May I be let in on this secret?"

Jessie looked at the young Sultan, gauging what his possible reaction might be, then sighed heavily, turning to Jonny. "I left my crutches in the bathroom... with the box."

"I'll get them. You set him up." and he left.

Jessie settled herself comfortably at the head of her bed, hugging Mr. Bear tight. Hadji sat and waited patiently at the foot of the bed. "Hadji, you know that Jonny and I have become close, right?"

"Yes, and I must say that I am most happy to see that you have both wizened up to your feelings for each other."

A small smile appeared. "That's the trouble, isn't it? Our feelings are getting to the point where we act first then think."

"Old territory for me." Jonny announced as he appeared in the door. Placing the wooden crutches on the floor next to the bed he sat close to Jessie's side, trying to hide the small box in his hands. "A while back we acted before thinking and almost ran into a little problem."

"Problem? What kind of problem?" Both his friends hesitated for a moment as if weighing the consequences. Then, Jonny tossed him the box. Catching it Hadji looked at the front of it. "Home pregnancy test? You're--!"

Jessie shook her head sadly. "No, but it was close. I guess my body just needed to readjust after the accident."

"I had no idea..."

"And we'd like to keep it that way, ol' buddy." Jonny stated.

"Like our ghost quest?"

"Exactly."

"Your Fathers will not like this. When do you plan to tell them?"

"Don't know." Jessie replied frankly with a shrug. "Someday, but not now. My Dad would have a fit and I wouldn't hear the end of it with Mom."

"Not to mention the fact that I'd end up dead in some really gruesome manner courtesy of one very mad Race Bannon. Let them get used to us going together first."

"In that case I will remain silent. I do hope you are discussing the consequences of your actions?"

"We will be now."

"Then I will leave you to it. Good luck, my friends. Oh, and I propose you discretely rid yourselves of this box before any of the others find it." and he tossed the box back to Jonny before he left the room.

They were silent for a long moment, looking at the empty box for the pregnancy test. "So, what happens now?" he asked tentatively.

She sighed. "Now... I have no idea... No, that's not true. I have one idea, and it involves having a chat with Doctor Raimy."

"Doctor Raimy? What about?"

"A referral to a... gynaecologist."

"Oh. Yikes. Well, it had to happen sooner or later. You want to call the Doc, or should I do it?" he inquired, picking up the phone on her night stand.

She took the phone from him and began to dial. "Seeing as the appointment will be in my name, I'll call." She suddenly smirked. "I seriously doubt you need to see one. Close the door. I don't want Dad accidentally hearing this conversation." He did as told and returned to her side. "Hi, Doctor Raimy? It's Jessie Bannon... Yeah, I'm doing fine. I was wondering about something, though. You wouldn't happen to know a gynaecologist, preferably one who can be discrete?... You do!" She flashed a pleased smile at Jonny who grinned in response. Quickly she grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. "And she's a woman?... Perfect!... Doctor Maria Santos, 557-9281... Yes, thank you... And a belated Happy New Year to you too." With a quick flick of her thumb she cut the connection and began dialing the new number. Jonny gripped her hand tightly to keep her from shaking. "Hi, I'd like to make an appointment to see Doctor Santos... It's for a consultation... That would be just perfect... It's for Jessica Bannon..."

* * *

January 11th. The last class of the day was about to end and, somehow, Maya Vernessa had managed to avoid both Jonny Quest and Jessie Bannon. But that had ended when this class had begun. She shared Physical Education with Jessie and this one was milking the situation for all it was worth. They were playing a game of Volleyball and, of course, they were on opposite teams. Maya's team was losing due to the fact that the entire Cheer leading squad made up that team. Seeing as his last class was a spare Jonny sat in on the gym class, on the wooden bleachers, to watch the game and the going ons. On occasion Jessie would pass him, flashing a sweet smile in his direction, or reaching out to touch his offered hand to have some physical contact with him.

Jessie now stood at the serve line on the court's edge and grinned evilly as she power served the ball to the other side. They managed to hit it back to her side. Crysta set up the ball and Jessie spiked it viciously in Maya's direction. The blond shrieked in terror and barely ducked in time to avoid contact with the ball. They received victory cheers from their other team mates on the bench and pleased laughter from Jonny. Then, the final bell rang.

"You really took it out on Maya there, sister." Tina Warshan voiced to Jessie when all the girls were in the locker room.

"She deserved it, and more to come."

Elaine Crench frowned in slight puzzlement at the shaking in Jessie's movements. "You nervous about something, girlfriend?" she asked as she fixed her sweater.

"Probably about being alone with Jonny that long car ride home, eh, Chica?" Crysta teased. She was tying up her hair, waiting for her friends to finish getting dressed.

Bannon frowned in mock annoyance as she pulled on her jeans. "Stifle, Crys. And, no, that's not it. I've got a doctor's appointment that's got me kind of nervous."

"Nothing serious, I hope?" she was quick to ask.

"No." She pulled on her sweater and fixed her hair. "It's just..." She suddenly giggled and sat on the bench in front of her locker, motioning her friends to come closer. "Can you guys keep a secret?"

"Hey, it's us." Elaine stated.

"The doctor I'm going to see... is a gynaecologist."

"Whoa, hey, Chica, why?" came Crysta's inquiry.

She hunched her shoulders at her friends anxious faces. "Well... You see, guys... Jonny and I... We, um, almost ran into a problem after we--"

"Oh, stop right there, girlfriend. Too much info." Elaine interrupted.

Maya overheard from the other aisle of lockers. She stormed to the other side, grabbed Jessie by the sweater collar, and rammed her up against the locker. "How dare you take him from me!" she hissed.

Jessie knocked her backwards to the floor, then she and her friends glared down at her. "Maya, once and for all, get it through that bleached blond thick head of yours. He was never yours to begin with. Besides, you know a guy since you were kids and things are bound to happen." and she slammed her locker shut to walk out of the locker room, closely followed by her friends.

Jonny was leaning against a wall, wearing his winter bomber jacket over his white, button down shirt and faded blue jeans, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked up slightly, giving her a version of his lopsided grin.

"Hello, Handsome." she grinned, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

His arms held her close. "You look extremely pleased with yourself."

"She should be, Blondie." Crysta began. "Or should I say Future Daddy?"

Jonny had a stunned double take. "You told them!?"

She pulled away from him. "Oh, you should talk! You told Todd, Ian and Derek."

"They pumped it out of me when they saw how nervous I was this morning."

"That's how I ended up telling them."

"Oh. Well, then I apologize."

"I'm sorry, too." and she stepped back into his arms.

Elaine rubbed the back of her neck at the minor altercation. "Man, if only my fights with Derek were as easy to resolve."

Jessie smiled slyly as he buried his face in her mane of fiery hair. "And this is only part of the making-up." she giggled. Her three friends walked away in stunned disbelief.

Jonny faked a pleasantly surprised look. "There's more?"

"Not until we have a chat with Doctor Santos." she admonished playfully.

"Can wait. Now, why were you so pleased with yourself earlier?"

She chuckled. "Maya got a small taste of phase one." she stated.

He looked pained. "You started without me?"

She patted his cheek softly. "Don't gripe. You'll have plenty of fun when we give her the rest of phase one. And God knows we'll both enjoy phase two and three." She pulled far enough out of his arms to take his hands and pull him along. "But first things first. We have someone to see and discuss things with."

He held her book bag as she put on her bomber jacket. "If we can trust her I have a pretty important question to ask her."

"About what?" she asked as they stepped outside.

"The Dragon's Blood. If Doc Santos can't answer this question I'm going to have to go back to the Caves in India and talk to Drayca. If not, Dad'll have to be let in on the whole situation."

"I think I can guess."

"You know, we're getting good at that." he told her as he pinned her back against the passenger side of the car.

"At what?" came her coy inquiry.

"Guessing at what's on the other's mind."

She put her arms around his neck, smiling sweetly. "Comes with being in love, Lover."

"Mmm, that we are." and he leaned in to gently warm her lips with his own.

They pulled apart, staying millimeters from each other. He saw her twinkling, emerald green eyes flicker to look over his shoulder before she suddenly grinned at him, mischievously. "Maya's watching." she whispered a giggle.

With only his eyes Jonny looked down to the car door window. He could see Maya's reflection in the dark tinted glass. She was standing in the school's doorway, arms crossed over her chest in clear disapproval, a frown on her face. He chuckled wickedly, placing his hands on the sides of Jessie's rib cage, inside her open jacket. "Good." and he embraced Jessie rather passionately.

Jessie felt her knees weaken and clung to him tightly to keep herself from falling over. She felt a sense of loss when he released her from the heated embrace. It took her an extra moment to regain her senses and her breath before giving him an impish grin. "For who's benefit was that for?" she questioned softly.

"No one but us, Jessica my love." She chuckled as he opened the car door for her. "C'mon, we have an appointment to keep." and with that they both climbed into the black Viper and drove off. A few short minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of the clinic. Jessie stood in front of the building's closed doors for a moment. Jonny came to her side. "Ready?"

"No, but when has that ever stopped any of us, right?" With a resolute sigh she walked in with him close behind. He stood next to her, as she registered at the front desk, absently looking over the waiting area. There were a few women, some their age, and some with their significant others. Small couches lined the walls, big enough to accommodate two at a time. Magazine laden tables were in front of each. "You're coming in with me?" Jessie's tone was innocent, despite her efforts to make it sound otherwise.

"Just you try and stop me." he assured, grinning at her. She grinned back in visible relief. They sat in one of the small couches, her hand gripping his in a death grip, tightening with each passing moment. He looked down at his blood drained fingers, then at Jessie. "I'm going to want that hand back later." he quipped.

She turned to him sharply, then looked down at their joined hands. "Sorry." she apologized, releasing her grip on his hand. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders in response, holding her close in comfort. A middle aged couple smiled at them from across the small room. "You know I was thinking--"

"That's always good."

"Oh, ha, ha, Quest. But seriously. If we ever did have kids, what would we name them?"

"Them? As in, more than one? You're pushing it, Bannon." He leaned his head back in thought, banging it gently on the wall behind him. "Not quite sure about names. For a while I thought maybe Roger for a boy, you know, as a peace offering to Race. God knows if we don't do something like that he'd bury me alive, married or not."

She chuckled. "And for a girl?"

An air of disappointed surprise crossed his face. "There I'm drawing a blank. What do you think?"

She gave him a wide grin. "I have the perfect name. It's kind of like a thank you to that person. I owe her for having you. Rachel." His eyes became tender when he smiled at her. "Think she'd mind?"

"Not one bit. You were right, it's perfect." and he placed a gentle kiss on her temple. He suddenly began to chuckle. "Would you listen to us. We sound like an old married couple."

"So when is that going to happen?" came her coy inquiry.

He grinned. "Nope. I want that to be a surprise."

She looked slightly startled. "You mean you already have a ring?"

"I've had the ring since I was nine, and everything else is planned. I just have to put it in motion when the time comes, and inform our Dads. When we're older, of course."

"So, are you proposing?" she grinned.

He returned the grin. "Not yet, but I will."

"When will that be?"

"When we're older." he repeated. "No use trying to pump it out of me, Jess. That time and place is being kept a total and absolute secret. You'll just have to wait."

"What if we break up before then?"

He faced her sharply, a shocked look coming over his face. "Don't even go there."

* * *

April 13th. Jessica Bannon looked up at the front of the class, specifically to the school clock. Two minutes left before school would officially let out for the summer. It was the third week of April, the sun was shining bright and warm outside, and not a trace of snow was left anywhere in Maine's coastal region. She wore a light, button down, white silk blouse and a short, green skirt. Her white sneakers tapped the floor anxiously. She could hear birds singing from the open window near by. Silently she willed the last two minutes to hurry up.

Outside, Jonny was waiting for her. His last class had been a spare, he had written that final exam three school days ago, and he had told her he would wait at the school's front entrance. In preparation she had already gotten everything together in her bag, sitting next to her desk. Her final exam was finished and sitting on the teacher's desk. Physics was her strongest subject and she had finished it half an hour into the class. She found the rule of waiting until the bell to leave during an exam a very stupid, and boring, rule.

She looked up again.

Thirty seconds left. Jessie reached down to take hold of her bag.

Fifteen seconds.

She readied herself to pounce from her chair for the door. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

RIIIIIING!!!

Jessie had already been moving towards the door a split second before the bell rang. She dodge her friends, fellow classmates, and other students as she rushed for the school's main entrance. She burst through the main doors to the outside world, quickly leaping down the concrete steps into the arms of the man she loved more than life itself. He wore his regular blue jeans, but had opted for a light, button down, white, short sleeved shirt. Jonny staggered back slightly, absorbing her momentum, and crushed her to himself.

"An hour and a half was too long." he breathed into her hair.

"I know what you mean." and she pulled back to cup his face and taste his lips. He more than willingly returned the embrace.

Short moments later they were joined by a group of their friends. The had all planned a trip together down to Florida and had managed to convince Doctor Benton Quest to allow them the use of the Questor, a eighty foot catamaran/yacht. Hadji would have joined them had he not had to return to Bangalore, India, for his term as Sultan. Departure date was that day. Race was down at the pier prepping the ship for them. They had already stowed their gear and supplies onboard a few days earlier. Those going with them were Crysta, Elaine and Tina of Jessie's friends and Todd, Derek and Ian of Jonny's friends. There was a mad dash for the group's two cars and they were off for the pier. Race was just stepping off the ship when they arrived from the secure parking facilities.

He had started getting used to seeing Jessie, his Daughter, going out with Jonny. He had even slightly resolved himself to the fact that they were on kissing terms. After all, they had been officially dating for close to ten months now. There was absolutely nothing he could do about the situation.

Besides, he thought, Jonny's not a bad kid. He'd rather kill himself then let anything happen to Jessie. I know they wouldn't do anything stupid. He had no idea that they had progressed any farther. "Now, I want you kids to be careful out there. I want this ship and her crew back all in one piece, got that?"

All eight teens saluted smartly. ""Yes, Sir!"" the stated in unison.

"Very funny." he smirked, but saluted them none-the-less, an automatic response from his Covert Operation days.

The teens boarded the stately ship and took their posts, Jonny at the wheel. All moorings were cast off and the ship easily glided out of it's docking to greet the sea. The ocean was kind to the small group of sailors, offering good winds and calm seas. Todd Andrews, the more novice seaman of the group, stood at the bow of the ship with Crysta, just staring at the vast expanse of water before them. The shore was just within sight on his right. He had a slightly frightened start when Jonny came down with Jessie from the Bridge to join his friends on deck.

"Hey, who's sailing the ship?" he demanded.

Jonny grinned reassuringly. "Don't worry, buddy. It's on Auto. Dad installed one of his gadgets that can sense wind and current changes and compensate accordingly."

"You sure it works?"

Jessie grinned in amusement at Todd's squirming. "Doctor Quest is renown for the absolute reliability of his gadgets. It's one hundred percent foolproof. If it wasn't the Navy and Coast Guard wouldn't be mass producing them for their ships."

Crysta patted Todd on the shoulder for added reassurance. "Chica and Blondie have several years of experience at sea under their belts, Boyfriend. Anything happens, they can handle it. Now just relax and enjoy the trip, will you?" He relaxed his shoulders and grinned as they walked towards the ship's lounge.

Ian Welsh, Derek Martin, Elaine and Tina were already in the ship's lounge area when the rest of the group entered. Tina and Ian were engrossed in a particularly heated game of chess. Derek and Elaine were glued to the television, soon joined by Todd and Crysta when they noticed it was the all-movie channel from satellite TV. Except for the sounds of the movie, all was quiet. As Jessie sat in the window-length couch, her back to the bow of the ship, Jonny began towards the sleeping quarters.

"Where're you going?" she asked him, puzzled. He merely turned, winked a grin, and kept going. He returned moments later, completely bare foot, carrying his guitar. "Should have known." she grinned as he sat at her side. "Couldn't resist, could you?" she teased, leaning on his shoulder as he tightened the strings in preparation to play.

"The last time I played for you was on Valentine's Day..." His voice dropped to a low hush. "... and remember what happened then."

She smiled knowingly. "I remember."

"Yo, you two having second thoughts about bringing us along?" Ian called, not looking up from the chess game.

"No. You guys deserved a vacation away from home as much as we did." Jonny assured.

"Okay, but if I hear heavy breathing and moaning tonight I'm taking the dingy and paddling home." Elaine voiced.

"You won't hear anything." he managed as he struggled to keep a straight face.

Jessie wasn't able to keep herself from laughing. She was on the same train of thought he was. "The cabins are sound proofed." Jonny laughed along with her, unable to contain himself any longer, at the shocked faces their friends were giving them.

* * *

Lights disappeared outside as night fell. The chess game was abandoned, the players having long ago given up and gone to bed. The television was off, the watchers having turned in. Only Jessie and Jonny remained in the lounge as he played the soft chords of Tara's Theme by Max Steiner. He had left a few minutes prior for some reason he wasn't telling her, a familiar grin tugging the corners of his mouth, then returned and continued playing. She listened to the music, half way between reality and a dream world, her cheek pressed to his shoulder. She had always loved the music he played. It was always soft, gentle, inviting, like he was.

Almost sensual.

Did I really just think that? she wondered.

He turned just enough to give her a lopsided grin before he changed the tune he was playing. She recognized it immediately. They had worked on this duet for quite some time. It was the same song they had serenaded each other with on Valentine's Day, Hand in Hand by 98 Degrees. This was same song that had initiated their most passionate night together to date. He began to sing, softly.

"One thing I'm sure of

Is that we will always be,

Even though the road

Seems to get a little rough.

It's for you I live,

I can do anything

And it will never be too much."

"In my darkest hour you are there to light the way," she took up.

"And when I'm down you always lift me up again.

Oh, oh, oh, oh,

You know me better than I know myself.

You comfort me and let me know

With you I'm gonna win."

""Walk with me,

Hand in hand.

We will help each other understand

How to go through.

There will never be a day that we'll grow apart.

So we'll forever be

Together, hand in hand.""

Still strumming the guitar strings he glanced lovingly at her. The moonlight streamed through the window and bounced off the water to create a silver dream scape. In this light she looked simply sublime. The fires of her hair weren't muted in the least, her bright emerald green eyes shone brightly, tenderly. No existing words could possibly come close to describing her. When they had practiced this song together it had felt so incredibly right. The words seemed to describe the relationship they shared as if it had been written especially for them. It had only been right that they sing it together.

"Sometimes I'm wrong,

And even in that case

You didn't go away,

You stayed right next to me.

As time goes on

I realize that you're for me.

And I will love you for eternity."

"In my darkest hour you are there to light the way,

And when I'm down you always lift me up again.

Oh, oh, oh, oh,

You know me better than I know myself.

You comfort me and let me know

With you I'm gonna win."

""Walk with me,

Hand in hand.

We will help each other understand

How to go through.

There will never be a day that we'll grow apart.

So we'll forever be

Together, hand in hand.""

As his fingers played the last remaining chords, Jessie wrapped her arms around his shoulders, turning his face towards her. "Remember what happened the last time we did this song?" she breathed as she nuzzled his cheek.

He chuckled softly. "Remind me?" he asked as her hand pushed the guitar out of the way.

"Only a hint." she giggled. Her lips teased his before he claimed hers deeply. His hands found her waist and pulled her closer to himself. The guitar was completely forgotten. Suddenly he got to his feet, pulling her up along with him, and turned her back to himself. "What...?"

"Shh. A surprise." he breathed, dropping a blindfold over her eyes. "Trust me."

She smiled. "Always." Taking her hands he led her through the ships corridors towards the sleeping quarters. He stopped in-front of one door, long enough to open it wide, then backed through it, pulling Jessie along with him. She heard the door close softly behind her. The room smelled of comfrey, a bitter sweet smell that warmed her soul and her heart. "So when can I take off the blindfold?" she grinned as she was led forward a few steps and then turned around.

"I don't know. I kind of like you this was, you know, helpless."

"I'm hardly helpless, Quest." she smirked, removing the blindfold. She saw him against the door and heard a faint click as he locked it. "Scared I'm going to get away?" she teased and turned in place casually in order to see where it was he had brought her. She grinned again. This was his Father's cabin, the one he had shared many a night with Rachel Quest before her death, and the only cabin with a bed large enough to comfortably accommodate two. The bed sheets had been turned down and few candles were scattered around the room, glowing softly.

"No, that someone might walk in accidentally." He came back to her and stood mere inches from her body. "We wouldn't want that."

Her hands started working at the buttons of his shirt as his hands found her waist. "No, we most certainly wouldn't." One by one the buttons came undone to reveal the dragon design locket she had given him. Her eyes softened. "You're still wearing it." she breathed in slight surprise.

"Why would I want to take it off?" he murmured. "You still have yours?"

She smiled up at him lovingly and her fingers resumed the job of unbuttoning his shirt. "Why would I want to take it off?" she repeated, nearing the last button and pulling his shirt free of his jeans to let it fall to the ground.

"I want to see." he stated playfully as he began to unbutton her blouse. Her hands rested at his waist, feeling the warmth of his skin, as he slowly undid every button of her blouse.

He opened it wide, exposing her skin, her locket, and her bikini top. He eased the blouse off her shoulders ever so gently and let it float to the ground. He then took hold of the thin gold chain around her neck to follow it down to the green stone, letting the backs of his hands brush against the tender flesh of her chest. All Jessie could do was stand there and tremble. He leaned in, closing his mouth over hers in a deep, searching kiss. His hand passed behind her knees and lifted her up in his arms to deposit her on the double bed. From there his hands began to work at removing her skirt. But, before he could get too far, she flipped him over to his back, straddling his thighs.

"No, you don't. I'm in control here." she grinned sweetly.

He chuckled. "By all means."

She giggled, locking her eyes with his glowing blue eyes as her hands continued to undress him. They both laughed, almost hysterically, as she struggled to pull off his jeans, leaving him in his boxer shorts. Finally succeeding she tossed the jeans in a corner of the room, then she lunged towards him, lying on his chest, still giggling. A mixture of a low growl and a laugh escaped his throat as he nibbled at her neck, wrapping his arms around her frame. She managed to take hold of his wrists and pin them at either side of his head. Her mouth leisurely traced a trail of liquid fire down the side of his throat, all across his chest, and low over his stomach before changing direction back towards his face, retracing the path she had taken with tiny, gentle nips. He struggled with himself to keep some form of self control, but it was a battle he was steadily losing. His breath suddenly gushed out of his lungs, unable to contain himself much longer.

"Oh, God, Jess!"

"Shh, patience." she breathed against his chest with a grin.

She raised up to lightly tease his lips. His hands found the fasten and zipper to her skirt, undid them both, and gently eased it off her. It fell to the floor with the barest whisper of a sound. Ever so slowly his hands inched along her sides to just beneath her arms, sliding them across her back, then let them slide down to her waist. He pressed her close to himself as he sat up, bringing his knees up to her back to help keep her close. His blue eyes glowed fiercely in the dim moonlight, matched only by her emerald eyes. She watched his face carefully, gently touching the base of his jaw with her hands. He suddenly gave her his lopsided grin, his hands holding her on either side of her rib cage, then leaned in and gave her an open mouthed kiss on her heart.

She let herself go limp under his glorious touch and leaned back over his knees. The position was just too inviting to him. Tantalizingly slow he skimmed his lips over her blushing skin, kissing the flesh of that warm valley between her breast. He continued lower still to the flat, firm surface of her stomach, before letting his hands take over. He watched her every delicious reaction. She arched up slightly as he slid his palms up her sides to her shoulders. She audibly gasped and gripped the bed sheets when his palms momentarily cupped her breast, electrifying her every nerve ending to life in the process. His hands stroked her smooth abdomen before coming to rest on her thighs, whereupon she sat up quickly to press herself to his chest. As he watched her hand reached behind her back and one-handedly untied the first knot of her bikini top. He removed the rest of it himself, holding her close. The rest of their clothes were quickly removed and in an instant he was in her. That was when she lost control. His hands and lips paid particular attention to every inch of her body, making her shiver in utter delight. She whimpered his name and bits of loving phrases as he raced her to the edge. Then, everything came to a violent, shuddering crescendo. He fell to his back with her on his chest in a heap, both breathless. Jonny kept his arms wrapped around her naked form, holding her ever so tenderly.

Then, after a moment of silence, "Jess, you had said, on a scale of one to ten, Valentine's Day was a twelve." he panted.

"And?" she struggled for breath.

"One to ten." he grinned.

She giggled in understanding. "Nothing less than a twenty." She looked down at him with tender, smiling eyes. "I love you so much, Jonny."

"I've gone beyond that, Jess." He cupped her face. "I simply adore you."

She smirked. "Only simply?" she whispered coyly.

He drew her face in closer, brushing his lips against hers. "Totally and completely." he breathed and gently claimed her lips, letting his hands begin to travel over her body once again.

She smiled into the embrace as she felt herself begin to respond to his touch. "My, you're frisky tonight." she chuckled.

He began to chuckle as he flipped her over to pin her to the mattress with his body. "You complaining?"

She wrapped her arms and legs around him. A sultry smile was on her lips as she brushed them to his. "Does it feel like I'm compl-- OH!" Her breath caught in her throat as he suddenly began the sensory explosion again, slowly pulling out then pushing back in. Self-control was lost. If she thought it were possible the moment was even more intense than the previous. She lay there for long moments when it was over, limp, with his comforting weight pressing her down. "You know what I said before?" He looked down at her heavily breathing form. "Nothing less than a twenty?"

"Yeah?" he prompted.

"I take that back. Nothing less than a fifty."

He smiled and moved off her. Immediately she felt a sense of loss. In a fluid movement he grabbed the bed sheets from the foot of the bed and covered them both in the light, summer sheets. He then wrapped his arms around her warm body, pressing her back against his chest. There they lay, letting their racing heartbeats return to normal, relishing in the feel of each other's warm flesh. "Someday, I promise to make you the happiest woman alive." he breathed in a soft sigh against her ear.

She caressed his bare arms. "I already am."

Jonny smiled lopsidedly against her temple. "You ain't seen nothing yet." he assured.

She smiled and molded herself to his chest as sleep crept over her. "You know what?" she asked softly.

"What?"

She could tell he was beginning to fall asleep. "I love you."

His arms tightened around her. "I love you, too."

* * *

Jonny woke slowly, noticing the early morning light filtering through the room's small porthole. Immediately he noticed the lack of something when he skimmed his hand across the mattress. He was alone in the bed. Jessie was nowhere near. He sat up, pulling the sheets around his waist, and looked around. There was no one else in the room with him.

"Jess...?" he questioned the room.

"Shh." she hissed, coming back in the room with two cups of coffee. She wore a kimono-like silk bathrobe and was barefoot. "You'll wake the others." She closed the door with her foot and sat on the edge of the bed, handing him one of the cups.

He took it and leaned on one arm for comfort, sipping at his coffee. "Where'd you go?"

"To check our course. We're a day ahead of schedule." She suddenly grinned over the edge of her cup. "And I also made coffee."

"To wake the others?"

"And you. It worked."

"No, actually, I woke up because you weren't here anymore." he smirked.

"Aw." She leaned in towards him with a sweet smile. "My poor baby missed me for the few minutes I was gone."

He returned the smile. "Missed you terribly." and he lightly kissed her lips. He then took both cups, placed them on the night stand, and wrapped her in his arms to pull her into a warm embrace.

"The coffee'll get cold." she breathed into his mouth.

"Forget the coffee." Jonny pulled her down to the mattress, exploring her mouth at a leisurely speed, his hands doing the same to her body.

She began to giggle. "Mmm, no. The others will be up soon." But she soon succumbed when his hands began to free her of her bathrobe. Without warning she sat up, holding him down to the mattress. She smiled down at him, slightly breathless. "Much as I'd love to... Save it. We still have a day at sea left and we have to have something to pass the night."

He grinned. "Tonight?" he chuckled.

"You bet." she laughed. She closed her robe again, grabbed some clothes from the dresser, and disappeared into the room's private bathroom to let Jonny dress. He was just finishing to tuck his white T-shirt into his jean shorts when Jessie emerged from the bathroom to stand before the dresser's mirror. She, too, wore jean shorts with a dark green tank-top. She flashed him a sweet smile before beginning to brush the tangles out of her long red hair, pinning it back in places with hairpins. He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and buried his face against her nape. She molded herself back against him with a blissful sigh. "What I wouldn't give to have an eternity of last night." she breathed.

"You and me both." He squeezed her close momentarily before aiming her towards the door. "But, right now, we have ship duties to perform."

She groaned and, holding his hand, let him lead her to the ship's Bridge. "Always something to do."

Entering the Bridge they immediately heard an official sounding call from the ship's radio. Jonny quickly grabbed the radio headset and listened. Jessie took the wheel.

"This is Commander Charles Huard of the Frigate, USS Endeavor, of the United States Coast Guard. Unidentified ship, state your registration, captain, and destination."

Jonny raised an eyebrow. "This is the USS Questor, QC 9924, Captain Jonathan Quest. On route to Palm Keys Quest Compound. What seems to be the problem, Commander?"

"We received word from Riker's Maximum Security State Penitentiary that one of their inmates escaped two days ago, Mr. Quest. We have reasons to believe that he trying to head South, for Guatemala. We're searching all ships heading South. Who's on board your vessel?"

"We're eight, total. All seniors from Rockport High School in Maine. I can vouch for them. Who's the escapee? Maybe we can keep an eye out for him."

"I know better then to question the word of a Quest. Reports say it's a certain Kyle Merrick." Jessie saw Jonny's face sour for some reason. She hadn't heard the conversation over the radio.

"We know him. First sight we'll call you boys in. Questor out."

Jessie watched him carefully hook the headset back into place and lean back in deep thought on the navigation console. He was frowning at the floor.

"What is it?" she asked.

He looked up suddenly, as if snapping out of a trance. "You'll never guess who busted out of Riker's Island." She cocked her head, urging him to continue. "Kyle Merrick."

Total shock registered on her face. Both she and Jonny had met Kyle Merrick shortly after their plane had crashed in the thick jungle of Brazil. There, they had been rescued and forcibly recruited into a covert Terrorist organization who used teenagers to do their dirty work. Merrick had been their team's Second-in-Command, along with his sister, and had held a grudge against Jonny for having become Team Leader, along with Jessie. Merrick had been the type of guy who got what he wanted no matter what, and that particular time he wanted Jessie. He had tried to rape her the first night they met, stopped only by Jonny. Subsequent times Merrick had tried to kill Jonny, failing each and every time. The only good thing that had happened from their encounter of him was that Jessie and Jonny had finally admitted to each other exactly how much they loved each other.

"How'd he manage to get out of Riker's?" came her incredulous inquiry.

"Who knows." he shrugged. "Coast Guard said he was on his way for Guatemala. I told them we'd keep an eye out just in case."

"Please, let him not know about the Palm Keys Compound." she pleaded to the ceiling.

He sighed heavily before suddenly smiling up at her. "Since we're a day ahead of schedule, how's about we stop in Miami for a day. You know, pick up some supplies, take in the night club life."

She giggled. "I like the way you think, Captain Quest."

He cocked his head. "If I'm Captain what does that make you?"

"Commodore, of course."

He laughed as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Oh, right, give yourself the higher rank."

She merely grinned playfully. "Only fair. After all, I am older."

"As you're so fond of reminding me." and he kissed her shoulder. "Alright, Commodore Bannon, what're your orders?"

She turned to face him, forcing him to take the wheel and pinning her back against it. She smiled an incredible smile at him, a smile that left him weak in the knees. "For now, set sail for Miami, Captain Quest. I'll let you know if there's anything else."

"Aye, aye, M'ame. Can the Captain ask a favor of his Commanding Officer?"

"Of course."

"Can the Commodore wake the rest of the rabble before they sleep the day away?"

She gave his lips a quick kiss before ducking out of his arms. "I'll have them swabbing the decks before breakfast or I'll keel haul the lot of them." she quipped and then left the Bridge.

Moments later a yawning Derek walked into the Bridge, giving the Navigation charts the once over. "Jessie tells me we're a day ahead of schedule."

"Yup, and we've decided to stop off in Miami before going on to the Compound."

"Cool. She was talking to Crysta about some Merrick guy. What's that about?"

"Just a guy we know that we sent to Riker's."

"Ow, remind me to stay on your good side."

"No, it's not that. He tried to... well... let's just say he was better off in Riker's. Turns out he escaped two days ago and is supposedly on his way to Guatemala. He's bad news."

"What about the Dragon's Blood thing, or whatever she said?"

"Long story I might tell someday, but not yet."

The hours ticked away quickly on the Questor. Each member on board was given a duty to preform which was done quickly and efficiently. Tina and Ian were assigned galley duty, preparing the meals and washing dishes mainly. Todd and Derek, being the mechanical experts, were given technical duties as in making sure the engines and other mechanical parts were at peak efficiency. Elaine and Crysta actually chose to do manual labor, making the beds and cleaning the windows and decks of the ship. Which left Jonny at the helm and Jessie as the Navigator and correspondent with the occasional passing Coast Guard ships.

By noon time the crew of the Questor began noticing the main sail of another ship following not far behind them. It grew steadily closer as the minutes passed. No name could be read on its hull, when it was near enough to see. It was a forty foot sailing vessel, powerful by the looks of its sleek lines and larger than needed sails. On deck was the crew. Having set the Questor on auto pilot, Jonny watched its approach from starboard side. He frowned. The crew was much too large for such a small ship. He immediately began to feel something was wrong when he saw them holding ropes and hooks. The other ship drew nearer when he realized their intent.

They were preparing to board them!

He raced for the wheel, too late to escape. Within short minutes, off the coast of the island of Bermuda, the Questor was taken. There was a slight scuffle between the boarders and Jessie and Jonny, but they were quickly over-powered by the more burly of the attackers. None too gently they were locked into one of the ship's cargo holds while the rest of the attackers secured the smaller ship behind the catamaran/yacht. As their six friends drifted around the small room, in fear and shock at the happenings, Jessie and Jonny searched the hold's contents for anything to help them escape. Nothing.

Jessie could feel the panic welling inside her. Over and over her mind screamed that she was trapped in a small space where she was most likely going to end up dying. The harder she tried to fight against the panic the worse it became. Her frame shook slightly and she closed her eyes to try to steady her nerves. A hand gripped her shoulder and she whirled around in panicked surprise. There stood Jonny, a look of knowing concern in his eyes. Releasing a shaky breath she hugged her own sides and pressed her face to the warm crook of his neck, his arms closing around her tightly.

"Claustrophobia?" he asked softly in her ear. She merely nodded and his arms tightened.

Two hours passed in silence, except for the gentle hum of the ship's powerful engines. The hum soon dwindled signifying the ship was being docked somewhere. Then the engines were shut off. Short minutes later the same large goons that had locked them up in the first place returned and began ushering them out of the hold. Once on deck they could finally see where they were. It was a small rocky island with an ancient looking stone fort standing near the shoreline. The attackers forced them off the ship to shore.

"Jonny, I need a distraction." Jessie whispered urgently at him.

"Not a problem."

In the blink of an eye he charged one of the goons in his best attempt to fein escape. Two attackers came to their compatriot's aide, viciously yanking Jonny off of him. Once off they proceeded in beating him. Jonny's friends were held back by the rest of the attackers who were eagerly enjoying the show.

"STOP!" a woman's voice suddenly ordered. The men backed away, dragging the target of their beatings to his feet. "I don't want him damaged." the woman continued in a sickeningly sweet voice.

He looked towards the deck of the Questor and frowned in hatred. There stood Maya Vernessa, a pleased smile on her face, but that wasn't the reason for his frown. It was the man standing next to her. He had grown some in height and in muscle tone, but there was no mistaking who this person was.

"Merrick!" he spat and fought the one restraining him to get to Kyle Merrick.

This one smiled evilly. "Glad to see you too,... Lizard Boy."

Jessie, too, had begun fighting the grip of the one holding her. "Should've known. Scum attracts scum." she spat.

Kyle's smile became pleasant, almost victorious, when he looked at her. "Ah, Red. Always as quick witted as ever. Did you miss me?"

"As much as a vivisection."

He looked pained. "That really hurt, Red."

"Good."

He frowned. "Enough with the pleasantries." He turned to Maya. "Shall we lock them up, my dear?"

Maya merely smiled and then nodded to her hired goons. They understood. None too gently, these ones took the eight prisoners inside the ancient structure. They shoved them down worn stone steps to a dank and dark lower floor. A few light bulbs were wired through the cold corridor, casting a dim light. The air smelled stale from age and salty from the ocean all around. New doors were hinged to the entrances of small rooms. These were clearly prison cells. All eight were ushered into one and roughly chained to the cold, damp walls. The manacles looked as new as the doors, roughly a meter and a half in length, enough to let one's arms come down to lower chest level when leaning against the wall. They were chained on the two opposing walls of the small cell, Jessie facing Jonny. Both of their multi-purposed Quest Watches were removed. Kyle came to stand before Jessie, a triumphant grin on his face as he gripped her chin in a restraining hold. He glanced at Jonny from over his shoulder. He was already beginning to strain against his chains towards him.

"She's quite a prize. Looks like I've finally won, eh, Lizard Boy?" and he then leaned in to force a chokingly deep kiss on Jessie's mouth. She struggled as best she could against him as Jonny, full of rage, strained against his chains to stop Kyle. He couldn't quite reach him, missing about two meters. Kyle then pulled away, licking his lips in clear enjoyment, as a disgusted Jessie spat at the ground in a very clear display of what she thought of him. "I'm going to enjoy doing that, and more, every night of your life." he almost purred.

She glared at him with all the hatred she possessed for him. "You forgot one thing. Winning hurts." With that she brought her knee up hard to his groin. When he double over in pain she brought her knee up again to connect with his chin, sending him sprawling backwards. Fighting the pain he got back to his feet and stumbled awkwardly out of the cell. The new looking door shut with a thud and a clank.

Jonny looked to his girlfriend in concern. "You okay?"

"I will be."

He suddenly smirked. "Nice moves there, Ace."

She smiled at him. "Could say the same to you for earlier, Hot Shot. Thanks."

"Ask and ye shall receive." he quoted. "What did you need the distraction for anyway?"

She quickly looked around the cell to make sure there were no listening devises. All she saw was one closed circuit camera, hanging from the ceiling, trained on them all. Satisfied it was the only devise in the cell, she turned back to Jonny.

"I needed it to stick one of my hairpins in my mouth without being seen."

"Way to go, Bannon." Ian praised softly as they all smiled at Jessie.

"Didn't Kyle find it when he... um,... explored--" Crysta began.

"Don't even say it!" Jessie interrupted. "My stomach's still queasy from it, don't make it worse. Needless to say, I kept it hidden from him. Anyone here know how to pick locks?"

Jonny grinned. "Part of Race's training, along with How to hot wire a car or any other kind of moving vehicle. I was hoping someone was going to do something like that. They left me my pocket knife, but I can't quite reach it." She made a move to take the hairpin out of her mouth. "Don't!" She stopped, looking at him quizzically. "They'll see you throwing it. Plus, in this dim light, I'm not guaranteed to be able to catch it."

Jessie thought a moment before grinning at him, a mischievous gleam in her ethereal green eyes. "Well, I can only see one other way to get the hairpin to you without them seeing."

Right away he knew what she was thinking and returned the sly grin. "No complaints." The others watched as they walked to the ends of their chains. They leaned towards each other, their lips meeting in a seemingly deep embrace. After a few seconds they pulled apart, keeping their faces close to each other. "We should do this more often." he whispered with a coy smile.

She giggled slightly. "What? Get kidnaped?"

"Must admit, it does add a little spice to one's life."

"Didn't know you thought chains were so kinky." she quipped. He chuckled.

"Hey! Do you two think we could get back to the business at hand, which is getting out of here?" Todd commented. The duo reluctantly pulled apart, leaning once again on the cold wall behind them. "So... Do you have it?"

With a grin pulling back the corners of his mouth he took the hairpin between his teeth and showed it to his friends.

Crysta couldn't contain herself. "Ooo, Mister Tongue." she laughed.

"And just remember, he's mine." Jessie added with a sly grin.

Jonny merely chuckled. He then took it out of his mouth and proceeded to work at the lock of the manacles at his wrists. There was a soft click and the first restraint popped open. Seconds later he was free. He quickly freed his friends at which point they used their chains to block the door from the inside. Climbing onto Jonny's shoulders, Jessie disconnected the closed circuit camera.

"Now, what do we do?" Elaine asked anxiously. "That door won't hold them out forever. We're basically trapped here."

"What I wouldn't give to have your Dragon half again, Blondie." Crysta voiced.

A light seemed to come on in Jessie's mind. "That it! Crysta, you're a genius!"

"I am? Oh, no, wait! That was just talk. I didn't really mean it."

The others were confused. "What are you talking about? Didn't really mean what?" Ian demanded for the group.

Jonny looked apprehensive. "Please, tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."

"It's the only way I can see to get us all out." Jessie replied firmly.

"But there's nothing here to reactivate it."

"Yes, there is. Me. I still have the Quest Strain in my blood. It'll reactivate it. Your Dad told me that's how he cured you the second time, he put the Quest Strain in your blood into dormancy. Mine's still active." He continued to look apprehensive about the situation. "It's the only way." she pleaded, gripping his arms.

He looked deep into her eyes, seeing the emotional struggle she was going through for just asking this of him. He pulled his pocket knife out of his pocket, unsheathing the double bladed knife. "You know there's a risk. It can go both ways." he warned.

"I know, and I'll take that chance."

"But can I put you through this?"

"I'm not asking you to. I'm telling you that I'm taking the chance." and she held up her hand, palm out. "Let's do it."

He released a resolute sigh. "Crysta, we'll need your help." She approached them hesitantly. He handed her the blade as he began to lace his fingers with Jessie's. "Hold the blade here, between our hands, the edges pointed towards the palms." he instructed. Crysta obeyed numbly as her friends' hands closed over it tightly, their eyes locked on each other's. Jessie winced slightly from the blade beginning to dig into her flesh. "Now, yank it out."

"What?"

"Do it!"

She yanked it out of their hands as fast as their tight grip would allow. A small cry of pain escaped Jessie's lips as Jonny winced, his breath hissing between his teeth. Small, thin trickles of blood flowed down the lengths of their arms, dripping to the sandy floor upon reaching their elbows. From outside the cell they could hear Kyle and Maya shouting orders to their hired thugs. Todd, Derek, Ian, Elaine, and Tina braced their combined weight against the door to keep the thugs out as Crysta watched over her two friends. As she watched Jonny's face began to contort in pain, his body beginning to double over. Jessie, too, began to wince, though seemingly not in as much pain as Jonny. Crysta backed away from him just as the cell's door gave way. Kyle and Maya were at the front of the charge. They stopped dead at the sight of Jessie and Jonny falling to their knees in what looked like agony. A fire was invading their veins, painful, searing. Before everyone's horrified eyes Jonny began to visibly morph, to change from his normal human self to a Dragon hybrid.

Kyle's face began to register apprehension at this. The last time he had seen Jonny Quest as a Dragon hybrid this one had tried to kill him. He would have succeeded too if Doctor Quest hadn't shown up when he did. He momentarily wondered why Jessie also seemed to be in pain, but the thought was quickly replaced by a self-preservation instinct in regards to Jonny.

Maya, on the other hand, was absolutely terrified at the proceedings unfolding before her eyes. The one man who occupied her every thought day and night was turning into a monster, a lizard man. Her mind began to process why he was changing and every answer came back the same. Jessie was the cause of the change for the simple fact that her present actions mimicked his the closest. She too was in pain. Something within her snapped.

The goons recovered from their first initial shock and had grabbed the six of the small group. Kyle grabbed Jessie, holding a knife to her throat, just as the change ended and Jonny straightened in all his new Dragon like glory. Jessie kept her face hidden in her hands as the pain subsided.

"You come near me and I swear I'll kill her!" Kyle threatened, his voice betraying his fear.

"Let her go, Merrick." he growled menacingly.

"So you can kill me? Oh no, I think not. She's mine now. It may sound like a cliché, but I believe in the adage that if I can't have her no one can. And seeing as you all now know me, I can't let you leave. Alive, in any case."

Jessie pulled her face out of her hands, looking at her palms in surprise. There was no cut, no scar from where the knife had been. She turned her hands over and saw patches of greenish gold scales on them and her arms. Touching her cheeks she felt more scales. Realization dawned on her.

She stood ramrod straight. "You can't kill him." she voiced, looking to Jonny. He saw the scales and understood.

"But I can kill you!" Maya shrieked as she lunged for Kyle's knife, plunging it deep into Jessie's chest when Kyle released her.

She staggered in pain and in shock, hitting her back hard to the wall. Jonny came to her side, gripping her shoulders. For a moment she just stared at the butt of the knife, Maya's mad laughter of triumph shattering the thick, shocked silence.

"You okay?" Jonny inquired softly.

She smiled at him. "Hurts like the Dickens, but I'm okay." Jessie's hand closed over the handle as she gave Maya an evil grin. "I'm not dead." she cooed, pulling the blade out in one swift tug.

Both Maya and Kyle took a fearful step back. Jonny began to grin evilly. "Sso, are you going to let our friendss go or do we have to make you?" One of the goons, who wasn't holding anyone, rushed at Jonny in the attempt at an attack. There was a quick flash of greenish gold that stopped the thug cold. A sickening gurgle escaped his throat as blood gushed down the front of his shirt. Then he dropped like a stone. Jonny looked to the other goons in the cell. "Any other takerss?" There was a sudden mad scramble as the hired thugs ran for their lives. He sighed heavily. "Now why can't that happen in more normal ssircumsstancess?" he questioned no one in particular.

"Because in more normal circumstances you're not scary enough. You're just too cute." Jessie replied jokingly.

"Oh, ha, ha, Bannon. Very funny."

Todd suddenly looked around the now empty cell. "Hey, anyone see where Maya and Merrick disappeared to?" he voiced.

Jonny cocked his head to one side, as if listening to something far away, and also sniffed at the air. A few seconds later a frown creased his brow. With a low growl he bolted from the cell, taking a sharp left down the corridor. Jessie was right on his heels.

"Oh, no, you don't! Not without me!" she called as she ran.

"Wait!" Ian cried. "What do we do?"

"Go back to the ship!" she called back. "Get ready to cast off! We'll be there in a bit!" As she ran down the dark corridors she marveled at the changes the Dragon's Blood had caused in her. To her the darkness seemed as light as day, she could easily smell Maya's perfume like if she was standing right next to her, sounds were amplified. It was distracting. She understood now why it was Jonny had become unstable during his two previous changes. Rounding a corner she came face to face with Maya, holding a cinder block above her head. With a maniacal war cry she launched at Jessie. She ducked and lunged at Maya, knocking her to the ground. "What happened, Maya? Kyle leave you behind like a lost little puppy?"

Maya shrieked, fighting wildly under Jessie's grip. "He was mine! You had no claim on him!"

"You lost it, Maya! God, look at yourself!"

Maya didn't hear her as her hands gripped Jessie's throat. "He was mine! Mine, you hear me? He's mine! Mine!" Jessie fought her, using her greatly increased strength, but Maya's madness increased her strength enough to match hers. "He's mi--!" Maya's face suddenly registered some sort of shock as she stiffened. With a sickening sucking of air noise she fell limp under her, her eyes open wide.

Jessie looked at her for a long moment. Maya didn't move, didn't blink. "Maya?" She backed off and her hand went to her mouth in horror. A knife was planted deep in her chest. It was the knife she had been stabbed with herself, the knife she hadn't realized she still had in her hand. During the struggle she had accidentally stabbed Maya in the heart. Fighting shock Jessie got to her feet and listened hard to the silence around her, then bolted down the corridor. She had to find Jonny. She heard a cry from ahead that was suddenly cut short. Rounding a last corner she saw Jonny's back. He was standing over the twisted, almost mutilated form that once belonged to Kyle Merrick. "Jonny?" came her timid voice. He whirled around in surprised rage, prepared for another battle. He saw Jessie back away in fear and froze. All the instability that had been worked up during Merrick's chase and the battle with him melted away in shame. He backed away slowly, into a wall, unable to speak, looking down at his bloodied hand in slight horror. A long, awkward silence followed before Jessie shifted her weight to her other foot. "The others are waiting for us." she voiced. He didn't react. She quickly approached him and took his hands, sticky with ichor, and gave them a tug to get him to stand. "We have to go."

Jonny looked at her pale hands gripping his blood covered scaly hands, then up at her face. She saw the look in his eyes. Incredulity at her acceptance. He stood, keeping his eyes locked with hers. Still holding hands they raced off down the corridor to where they remembered the stairs, leading to the surface, were. The sun had just set beneath the horizon, casting an orange dye over the land and Atlantic. None of the hired goons were in sight. The duo boarded the Questor and cast off to freedom.

"Where's Maya?" Crysta asked as the ship pulled away from the rocky shore.

"She's dead." Jessie replied stiffly.

No more questions were asked. Jonny suspected something had happened between her and Maya just prior to the death, but he voiced nothing. It took a few hours and a good wind to reach the Palm Keys Quest Compound. Once there the group split into pairs for the available rooms. Jonny and Jessie entered one of the guest bedrooms. Absently dropping her bags as she went, Jessie entered the bathroom and closed the door. Minutes later Jonny could hear the shower. He sat on the bed's edge and stared at his blood covered hands.

"What have I done?" he breathed in horror. Through the bathroom door he began to hear a new sound. Crying. Jessie was crying. He got up and entered the small, steam filled room. He could hear her sobs clearly now. Her clothes were piled in a corner, thrown there absently when she had entered. Almost hesitantly he pulled the shower curtain back just a bit. "Jesss?" She was sitting in a tight ball, scalding water pouring over her heat impervious skin, rocking and shivering as she cried. He kneeled next to the tub and touched her bare shoulder. "Jesss, what'ss wrong?"

"Can't seem to get warm." she stuttered softly.

"It'ss sshock. Wait here." He disappeared for a moment, returning with a thick quilt a short while later. Turning off the shower he wrapped her naked form in the quilt, then lifted her up in his arms to carry her to the bed. There he gently deposited her on the bed and stretched out at her side to hold her shivering form tightly to his chest. "Tell me what happened, Jesss."

"Only if you tell me what happened with you."

He sighed heavily. "It wass India all over again. I losst it. There wass only the hunt and, ssince he fought, hiss death. The worsst thing iss I remember every ssecond of it... and enjoying it." He held her a little tighter. "Now, your turn."

She had a long pause where the tears returned in full force. "I killed her, Jonny. I killed Maya." she sobbed. "Stabbed her without realizing it. I still had the knife in my hand when I ran after you. Maya was fighting me, trying to strangle me... I killed her." He gently kissed her forehead, then pressed her face to the crook of his neck. "I could deal with it when it was a nameless faces or an enemy,... but I knew her. We went to school with her."

"Sshh. There wass nothing you could've done." he tried to soothe. "The way I ssee it you did the sschool a favor. Sshe wass assking for thiss ssince day one."

She frowned slightly. "That's kind of a cruel thing for you to say."

"I guesss, but it'ss true. I'm glad sshe'ss dead."

Jessie backed away from him in shock, pain beginning to fill her mind. "You can't mean that."

"Yess, I do. Sshe desserved what sshe got."

The pain increased, spreading to the rest of her body. Her body wouldn't respond anymore.

"No." she tried to wail, but choked on the word.

Sounds became muted as she shut her eyes tight. Jonny's voice disappeared replaced by a sound of rushing wind in her ears. When the wind died down, replaced by a stiffness of limbs, she re-opened her eyes. The room was dark, the shaped around her blurry. This wasn't the Florida Compound. A shadow was framed in the window, the light hurting her eyes. She tried to speak. A garble was all that emerged. The shadow rushed to her bedside and tenderly cupped her face. Jonny's face came into focus. There was no sign of the Dragon's Blood in him. He was normal.

"Jess, finally. I almost believed you'd never wake up." he breathed softly.

"... w-... what...?"

"Do you know where you are?"

She looked around, her eyes beginning to focus again. "... hos-... hospital...?"

"That right."

"... how... l-... long...?"

He hesitated for a moment. "A little over seven months."

"... seven...?"

Tears filled her eyes and began to flow down her cheeks. He cradled her face carefully, wiping her tears away. "Don't cry, Jess. Please, you don't ever need to cry."

"... all... a dream..." she wept, unsure if it was out of relief or if it was sheer disappointment. The more she thought about it the more she realized that it had all felt too perfect to have been real. "... hold me..." she managed between tears.

He quickly complied, kicking off his sneakers and carefully stretching out at her side. He nestled her body close to his side as he held her tight, quietly soothing away her tears. She desperately clutched his shirt to keep him near. She could smell his aftershave, a comforting scent after living a fantasy for so long. His strong arms cradled her form close, his lips tenderly kissing her tears away. After a long, quiet moment her tears subsided.

"You want to tell me about your dream?" he asked gently.

She paused, recollecting her thought. "It was about you... us..."

"Oh? I'm intrigued. What about us?"

She went quiet, unwilling to go on.

He noticed. "What is it?"

"In my dream it was Maya who caused my accident and, month later, she teamed up with Merrick who escaped from Rikers. The Dragon's Blood was reactivated and it affected me as well. You killed him and I killed Maya."

His arms tightened. "It was all a dream."

"I know, but it hurt."

"Shh, it's alright." and he stroked her head and back caringly. "It never happened."

"Dad chewing you out, after the incident with Surd on our first date, did happen though."

He was shocked. "How did you know that?"

"You told me, in the dream."

"What else did I tell you?"

"That we wasted a lot of time before we actually got together and that you love me as much as I love you."

He smiled. "That I do. You going to be okay?"

"I will if you keep loving me."

She felt him smile against her temple. "Always." he breathed. Then, after a moment, he began to nuzzle her cheek, moving towards her lips. "I love you, Jess." he breathed into her mouth.

Then, when he released her lips, "I love you, Jonny." She then nestled her head beneath his chin and dozed off in the comforting strength of his arms. This was finally real.

* * *

Another month had passed since Jessie had awakened from her long coma. Restless from remaining in bed her attending doctor finally relented into letting her begin her physiotherapy. Accompanied by the entire household, Race wheeled his Daughter's wheelchair in the hospital's small gym area for her second week of recovery. A nurse walked up to them with a smile on her face.

"Well, none of the other recoverers have ever had an audience stick with them this long." she announced.

"She's special to us." Jonny replied earnestly. Jessie took his hand and kissed the back of it gently.

"Alright, then, are we ready to walk?" the nurse directed at Jessie.

"I'll give it my best shot."

"That's the spirit."

Jessie screwed up her face in the semblance of an amused frown. "You are just too perky, you know that?"

"It's in my job description."

Hadji took the wheelchair away from Race and wheeled her up to the waist level parallel bars. With Jonny's help he got Jessie to her feet. She held on to the bars, supporting her weight on her arms. The men stayed at her either sides as she took her first painful steps. The nurse stood behind her, her hands at Jessie's waist in support. After a few steps Jessie stopped. Her eyes were shut tight in utter pain.

"... I can't..." she cried.

"You must try, Jessie." Hadji urged softly.

"... hurts... can't..."

"You must forget the pain. It is only a matter of placing one foot before the other."

Jonny gripped her shoulder. "C'mon, Jess."

"... too much... can't..."

"It's alright, don't push her, boys." the nurse stated placatingly.

Jonny quickly ducked under the bars to stand before her. His hands rested on hers comfortingly. "Jess, look at me."

She raised her eyes to him. Tears trickled freely down her cheeks. It broke his heart, but he couldn't show it for her sake.

"You were always telling me that when worst comes to worst you can't quit. Well, I'm telling you, you can't quit. You can do this. Just look at me, okay?"

With a concentrated yet hesitant nod she looked him straight in the eye. He slipped his hands beneath hers, gripping them tightly, as she began walking again. The tears returned in full force, but on she walked, keeping her eyes locked with his. Each step sent jarring pain up her spine, threatening to numb her legs into cotton.

"You can do it, Jess. Just a few more steps." he urged gently at every step along the way.

Suddenly the pain got to much. Her legs refused to respond so she gratefully let herself drop with the knowledge that Jonny would catch her. He did just before she hit the ground, cradling her close as he eased her down to her knees. In an instant both teens were surrounded by their family members and the nurse. She felt Jonny begin to chuckle and looked up in response.

"You did it." he told her. He pointed from where she came. "Look."

She did and fell back against him on her rump in awe of her own accomplishment. She had managed to walk the entire ten meter length of the parallel bars. Her pain subsiding and completely exhausted she began to laugh, unsure why. Jonny's arms wrapped around her from behind and rocked her gently and she continued to laugh.

* * *

Boiling from the afternoon heat pouring into his window Jonny left his room and walked down the stairs. More like trudged down the stairs. The heat was stifling. He began thinking a swim in the pool out back would help when he suddenly stopped halfway down the stairs. Jonny could think of one person who could benefit from the swim more than him. Jessie. He nearly flew down the rest of the stairs and headed for the Family Room. He knew she would be there. She spent most of her days there, reading a book. He came into the door and stopped short. She was there, staring out a window at the beautiful day outside with a look of longing on her face. She looked like some beautiful work of art, so still, framed in the midday's bright sunlight. He just stood there and watched her.

"What I wouldn't give to just walk outside." she stated in acknowledgment of his presence.

"Shouldn't be much longer. You've been in physio for almost two and a half months."

"Never really appreciate something until it's gone... like walking."

"How about a swim instead?"

She looked at him with a genuine smile. "Sounds heavenly."

He walked over to her, carefully lifting her up in his arms, and carried her up to her room. Estella Velasquez had stayed, stating she wanted to help her little girl heal no matter how long it took, and was coming out of one of the rooms with a pile of clothing in her arms. They met her at the top of the stairs.

"Hey, kids." she greeted the teens.

"Hey, Estella. Do you think you could help Jess change. We're going to take a swim to beat the heat."

"Sure, no problem."

Jessie leaned her head back with s short laugh. "God, I feel like some glorified Barbie doll."

"Nah, you're a thousand times better looking than Barbie." Jonny assured as he carried her into her room and deposited her on her bed.

She kept a hold on his collar. "Keep talking like that and I may never let you leave this room." she purred.

"I like the sound of that." he replied on an equal tone and tenderly claimed her lips, an embrace she more than willingly returned.

Estella suddenly cleared her throat. "Do you guys want me to leave?"

"No, I'm the one who has to leave. See you in a few minutes, Jess."

"You bet." and Jonny left the room for his own.

He quickly changed into his swim trunks, grabbed a towel, and headed for the pool in the backyard. Hadji had gone back to India, due to an emergency, his Dad was locked away in the Lighthouse working on some new project and Race was in town on an errand for Estella. His Aunt Addie and Cousin Barry had also left for home. He threw his towel on one of the reclining lawn chairs and smiled as he dove under the cool waters. Estella was more understanding about his and Jessie's relationship. There was a little more freedom.

He stayed underwater for a little longer, enjoying the silence and the cool water, then surfaced where he dove in. The water barely had time to clear from his eyes, as he raised himself on the pool's edge, did a soft pair of sweet lips press against his. He didn't have to wonder who this was. With a small smile he deeply returned the embrace until his lungs burned for air. He broke the embrace with reluctance. She smiled at him, caressing his face, as his eyes took her in completely. She wore a red, two piece swimsuit that tantalizingly left nothing to the imagination.

"Are you aiming to cool off or increase the ambient temperature?" he questioned playfully.

"What do you think?" she cooed.

He chuckled. "In that suit I don't know what to think. C'mon, swimming is a good exercise for you right now. I want you walking ASAP."

"Why's that?" she asked as she sat up on the pool's edge.

He pushed off the edge to the center where he waited. "Wouldn't you like to know."

She let herself drop into the water, completely submerging herself, and Jonny panicked for a moment until she resurfaced in a more shallow area, the water coming to just below her breasts.

"You know, it's actually easier to walk in water." she stated as she took a few tentative steps.

He swam towards her. "There's some good news. Tell me something, Jess."

"Anything, you know that."

He leaned back against the edge not far from her. "Apart from knowing about Maya culpability and what Race did after our botched first date, in your coma, what else did you dream about?"

She heard the innocence in his voice and saw in written all over his face. She paused, collecting her thoughts as she swam around the pool before coming back to stand in the shallow end. He was waiting on her answer.

"The entire thing was weird." she began. "I had a dream within a dream, something about an ancient belief of spirit guides and having each other's other half of our soul, or something like that. I dreamt I woke in time for Christmas--"

"Something I was desperately hoping for."

"--and that a couple days after that I came home. A little quick, I know, but I felt so okay with it that I didn't question. The same day, or should I say night, you and I did something my Dad would have killed us for doing."

He was intrigued. "What did we do?"

Jessie looked down at the water's surface, a shy smile forming on her lips. "We... um... we took the next step."

Jonny just stared at her, the weight of her statement having hit him like a ton of bricks. "Next... step." he worded carefully as if making sure he had heard right.

Still not meeting his eyes she began to trace idle patterns on the water's surface with one hand. "We..." She sighed suddenly and looked him straight in the eye. "We made love." Jessie finally blurted.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. "We made love." he repeated.

She merely shrugged with a shy grin.

"Just a second." and he dropped below the water's surface.

When he didn't resurface right away she began to panic as she quickly made her way to where he had disappeared. She gripped his arm and pulled him back up. He splashed her accidentally as he surfaced.

"Sorry, but I had to cool off." He leaned back against the edge looking very casual. A playful grin was on his lips. "So, was I any good?"

She returned the grin, coming to stand closer to him, a giggle forcing its way out of her throat as she pressed her palms to his chest. "Let me put it to you this way. In my dream, since December twenty seventh to April thirteenth, a grand total of thirty two times."

His arms wrapped around her waist to pull her closer. "Thirty two?"

"Thirty two."

"That good, hmm?"

"Incredible."

"I like the sound of that." Jonny pulled her closer so as to have her full length pressed against his own. "I think I might want to challenge those thirty two times someday."

"Aren't you afraid of what my Dad'll do to you?" Her tone was innocent.

He grinned and winked. "Not if we're careful."

Jessie laid her head on his shoulder, her arms around his neck. "What I wouldn't give for just two hours away from prying eyes, two hours in your arms." She sighed, forlornly. "A moment of dreams."

"You'll get that moment. That's a promise."

"I know. I can hear it by how fast your heart's beating." She looked deep into his clear blue eyes in an almost pleading fashion. "God, Jonny, I want you so much."

"Someday soon, My Love. Patience." he breathed against her lips.

She managed to lock her knees against his hips. "You and I both know that isn't something we're terribly good at."

He grinned as her lips teased his. "What would you have us do?"

"Tempt fate."

"Like we're doing now?"

"This... and one step farther."

"Just say when and where."

"I'd love to say right now..."

"But my Dad and Estella're not that far away with Race about to come home at any moment." he finished for her.

"Wouldn't live long after something like that." she giggled.

He chuckled in response. "No, we wouldn't." and they laughed.

She looked his deep in his eyes, her fingers gently caressing his cheeks. "I want you so much it hurts."

"I know."

They looked at each other for a heartfelt moment, volumes being said in a vast expanse of silence, before their lips met hungrily. Jonny's mouth left hers to drink the water that clung to her neck and shoulders. She threw her head back with a soft gasp in ecstacy.

"Ah-hrem!" came Race's voice from across the pool. "I thought Estella said you were swimming."

Both teens looked at him, almost warily, but grinning impishly. "We're taking a break." Jonny offered.

"Some break."

"I'm making up for close to seven months of lost time, Dad." Jessie added. She turned back to Jonny. "Keep your calendar open, I'll let you know the time and place." she whispered.

"Can't wait."

They swam towards the edge where Race stood and Jonny leapt out. Jessie managed to pull herself out and sat on the edge, unable to stand on her own. Jonny easily lifted her up in his arms to carry her to the pool chair where both their towels were. After depositing her he sat at her feet. Race stood over them, waiting until his Daughter finished drying off her hair.

"How're you feeling, Ponchita?" he asked his Daughter.

"Tired of not being able to walk on my own... under certain circumstances of course." she stated, making a point to direct the rest of her statement at Jonny with a sweet grin. "I still have a little pain, but it's getting better. There are so many people who're caring for me."

"You know, I was really scared for you, Jessie." he continued. "It was like Cairo all over again."

Out of the corner of her eye Jessie saw Jonny look away in some sort of emotional pain. She didn't have to question why. She reached out and took her Father's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm not going anywhere, Daddy. Not for a long, long time."

He smiled. "Thanks, Sweetie, I needed to hear that."

"I know. It's one of those girl things."

"Right." he chuckled. "I'm going to see if the Doc needs any help. You two behave." and he walked away.

Jessie turned to her boyfriend who had remained silent throughout the exchange between her and her Father. He was looking at the ground as he dried himself off with his towel. She managed to move closer to him and leaned her chin on his shoulder. Jonny smiled sweetly at her before returning his eyes to the ground. She kissed the back of his shoulder.

"Want to tell me what you're thinking about?" she questioned.

"Cairo."

"Not you too?"

"Race might've been scared to lose his only Daughter, but I was terrified to lose the only person who understands me and who meant the world to me."

Her eyes softened lovingly. "My, you really do know how to push all the right buttons."

He turned to face her, his arms around her waist. "So long as you're around for me to push those buttons."

Jessie wrapped her arms around his neck. "Forever and ever." she breathed against his lips.

"I'll take that... and more if you let me."

With heart aching tenderness he claimed her lips. Her whole body trembled from the feelings his touch was awakening in her. When their lips parted he crushed her close to himself, cradling her against his chest. She held him tight, not ever wanting to let go.

* * *

"C'mon, Jessie. Just one more rep." Estella urged.

Jessie was in the Compound's Weight's Room, seated at one of the leg exercisers. The weight was at the lowest setting and even then she had difficulties lifting it. She lifted the weight with a groan, struggled to hold it in the air, and struggled even harder to slowly lower it back into place. Once down she fell back against the seat, breathing heavily from the exertion.

"I knew you could do it, Sweetie."

She gave her Mother a wary smile. "Thanks, Mom."

"Greetings from downtown, Ladies!" Race suddenly announced from the mini gym's door.

Behind him was Jonny, a bag in his hand. Jessie looked at him to which he merely winked with a knowing grin. She sat up straighter, understanding, as she returned his grin. He came up behind her, caressing her head tenderly.

"How many did you do?" he asked gently.

"Managed five sets."

"Broke your old record."

"Feels like I broke more than the record."

Estella picked Jessie up in her arms. "A shower and a change and she'll be ready to hear all the news from town."

"Uh, Mom, can you just leave me upstairs after I change. I'm a little tired."

"Sure, Honey." and she walked off, carrying her.

"Looks like you'll be telling Estella and Dad on your own." Jonny directed at Race as they walked back to the main part of the house.

"Oh? And why's that?"

"I still have e-mail backlog to answer. If anyone needs me I'll be in my room." and he headed upstairs as Race continued on to the Family Room.

Jonny entered his room, kicked off his sneakers, and settled comfortably in the chair in front of his computer. Punching up his e-mail account he found sixty two messages waiting for him from various friends he had made on-line and around the world during his adventures. All pretty much had the same thing to say, where was he to not be answering his messages. Typing up one letter he e-mailed it, carbon copied, to everyone who had written to him. In it he explained his impromptu disappearing act and what was going on now. That finally done he logged off and crashed onto his bed, a book in hand. He barely had time to get through the chapter he was on before there came a knock on his door. He looked at the closed door with a puzzled frown.

"Come in."

The door swung open and in wheeled Jessie, now changed out of her sweat suit and into black jeans and a white T-shirt. Her flame red hair was still damp from her shower. He leapt off the bed towards her.

"Should've told me you were coming here." he stated.

"And have both my parents giving me the third degree about it? I think not."

He shut the door behind her as she wheeled closer to the bed. He turned back to her in time to find her seated on the bed's edge, waiting for her pain to subside before making her next move.

"Thought you said you were tired?" he questioned as he took his original spot before she had entered.

Jessie pressed her cheek to his heart, her arms around his chest, as a soft sigh escaped her lips. "I am, but my room's too quiet to be in. Besides, it's much more comfortable here. Did Dad tell you he, Mom, and your Dad were going to Peru for a week or so? Mom's been away from the dig too long and our Dads are going to check if they can be of any help."

"Yeah, he told me. That's what the bag's for." His tone was coy as he wrapped an arm around her.

She giggled. "I guessed that much. When are they leaving?"

"Later tonight, probably after supper."

She made a small sound in acknowledgment to which he looked down at her. He face was turned up slightly, a content grin on her lips.

"You comfy?" he asked, a smile in his voice.

"Totally. Think I'm just going to take a catnap right here for a while, to the sound of your heartbeat. You mind?"

"No, of course not. I'm just going to read a while."

"What book?" came her sleepy inquiry.

"Book one of The Blood Wars Trilogy, Blood Hostages. I'm on chapter eleven. I'm a little surprised at it though. It's turning out to be a better book than I originally thought."

He looked down and saw her eyes had closed. By the sound of her gentle, rhythmic breathing he could tell she was asleep. Jonny's arm tightened protectively around her, his other hand stroking her silky hair away from her face. Then, with a small smile, he reopened his book and began to read. Not being hungry he skipped supper and didn't have the heart to wake Jessie from her sleep. Doctor Quest came to check why his Son hadn't come down and now stood in the doorway.

"How long has she been asleep like this?" he questioned his Son just loud enough to not wake Jessie.

"Since earlier this afternoon. I couldn't bring myself to wake her."

"That's alright. She needs all the rest she can get."

"You guys leaving now?"

"Yes, just a few more things to load on the Dragonfly and we're off. You sure you two are going to be okay alone this time?"

"Not a problem, Pop. I don't think we're going to be leaving the Compound until you get back. And we'll try not to trash the place." he grinned.

"Just try to behave and I'll be happy with that." He gave the young couple a thoughtful look. "You two have really gotten close."

Jonny grinned down at Jessie's sleeping form. "Yeah, we have."

"Don't suppose I have to give you that Father/Son talk about the birds and the bees?"

"If that's the talk where you tell me if we take the next step I should take precautions, then not to worry. Years of after school specials and other such sitcoms have pretty much prepared me for everything life might throw at me. If there's anything else, believe me, you'll be the first to know."

"Alright then. We'll be back in two weeks. Take care, Son."

"Okay, Dad. Have a safe flight." and his Father left.

About an hour later Jonny heard the Dragonfly's engines and then the jet took off. The house was completely silent, save for the occasional patter of Bandit's paws and the incoming rumble of a thunder storm. The rain followed soon after. Some time after that Jessie stirred, then opened her eyes. She sat up, waking further.

"Hey." he greeted.

"Hey. What time is it?" she questioned.

"Almost eight. That was some catnap."

She stretched her arms up above her head, then stretched out at his side, both turning to face each other. His hand rested on her hip. "It was needed, though. Are they gone?"

"Left at about seven."

"What do we do now?" she questioned coyly.

He grinned. "Up to you."

She leaned over towards him. "I think you know what I want to do."

He cupped her face. "I most certainly do." he breathed against her lips. With infinite tenderness he claimed her lips, exploring slowly. "You sure this is what you want, Jessie?" he asked as she nuzzled the base of his jaw.

"Jonny, there is nothing I want more in life than for you to make love to me."

"Nothing else?" he grinned, a shiver racing down his spine from her admission.

"Something else, but that's more up to you."

He began to chuckle. "C'mere, Beautiful." and he pulled her into his arms, pinning her to the mattress under him. "Do you know why I love you so much?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling up at him sweetly. "Why?"

"Because you're incredible... in everything."

She giggled softly. "Words of honey from a silver tongue. One of the many things that attracted me to you."

"Oh? It wasn't my good looks?" he quipped.

She chuckled. "Apart from that. It was more your charms, your sense of adventure, your sensitivity..." She sighed. "I could go on."

"Please do."

"No, we have more interesting things to do right now." she replied coyly.

He grinned. "We certainly do."

She began to giggled as his hands freed her T-shirt from her jeans, lifting it up over her head to reveal the delicate lace of her bra. He dropped it to the floor as she managed to rid him of his own T-shirt. Her hands traveled over his chest in wonder. The skin was smooth, warm to the touch, and she thrilled from the sensation. His traced a trail of liquid fire down the length of her throat to her shoulders, then to the warm valley between her breast followed by the flat of her stomach. Jessie breath came in short, ragged gasps from his deliberately slow ministrations. Jonny's hands traveled over her body without restraint. Years of dreaming of this moment were now being put to the test. When his mouth returned to tease her lips her fingers raked down the length of his back, moving to his stomach, then she slid her hands to the growing bulge between his legs. He inhaled sharply and looked down at her. She merely smiled playfully.

He chuckled. "Oh, so that's how you want to play."

He began to nibble at her breasts through her bra as his hands reached behind her to undo the clasps. The straps slipped off her shoulders. A small cry of pleasure escaped her throat when his mouth finally found the tender flesh of her breast. She felt him working at the waist of her jeans which loosened soon after. With infinite tenderness he shoved them down past her hips, then pulled away from her long enough to tug her jeans off her legs. She sat up before he could lie down again. Keeping her eyes locked with his she undid his own jeans. Jessie saw the impish gleam in Jonny's eye just moments before he forced her down to her back with his body weight, his mouth closing over hers. With some wriggling on his part he was free of his pants. When he pulled away her first reaction was to grip the waist band of her underwear. His hands closed over hers to stop her.

"Allow me, Ace." he murmured huskily.

"By all means." she grinned.

Inter-spacing nips and kisses down the length of her leg he eased the last remaining garment off her, then changed direction back up her leg. Her eyes flew open at the feel of his warm breath between her legs and she looked down at him. Sometime during his attention to her lower body he had rid himself of his boxers. He continued up her body, pausing at her breast to tease the nipples into taut buds, then claimed her lips. Her hands closed around his hard shaft, caressing its full length. Jonny then pulled away a moment to lean over the edge of the bed, reaching for the bag he had gotten earlier that day. He faced her, making a point of showing her the small shiny packet her now had in hand. Jessie bit her lower lip with a grin, taking the packet from him.

"I'll do that." she giggled softly, opening the packet and pulling out the condom. "So when did you get so smart?"

He began to chuckle. "The same time I fell in love with you. And I do love you."

"Then you can prove it to me how much." she cooed, placing the condom on him.

He eased into her until he felt some resistance. He looked at her. She nodded quickly, bracing herself by gripping his shoulders. He gave one quick thrust which caused a small, pained cry to escape her lips. He stopped.

"I can stop...?"

She gripped his face tenderly, pulling it towards her own. "Don't you dare stop now."

With a small grin he began to rock forward and she was lost. This was real, after seven months of dreaming, this was finally real. She met his every thrust with perfect rhythm. His lips drank from her mouth and teased her breasts as she writhed beneath him.

He suddenly smiled against her lips from an idea. "I'm gonna make you get some exercise. How's your balance?" he breathed.

Before she could answer he flipped over to his back with her on top, straddling his hips. She giggled, suddenly understanding everything he was thinking and planning.

"You've been watching one too many adult rated movies." she teased as she raised up slightly.

"I like to think of them as educational films."

"I don't know how long I can do this."

He smiled. "Hold on to me. I'll help you."

He held her hips, guiding her movements. Neither knew which feeling was more intense, seeing the other's naked body for the first time or making love to it. She threw her head back in ecstacy when his hands traveled up to cup her breast. She suddenly fell against his chest.

"... I can't... It's too hard..."

"Shh, it's alright, Jess."

Jonny flipped over again so she ended up beneath him and began rocking again, racing her to the edge. Jessie could only gasp phrases or words as she felt herself nearing her peak. A startling white flashed before her eyes, her body going into violent spasms, her whole body responding solely to the climax with a cry of pure pleasure. He felt her tighten around his member as she peaked, his own climax coming moments later. Jonny collapsed atop of her, both teens breathing heavily from their ordeal. He riddled kisses across her collar bone and neck, enjoying the salty taste of her skin. Minutes passed before their breathing returned to normal.

He looked down at her. "I hurt you."

"It had to happen. I don't blame you."

Jonny lightly kissed her lips. "Our relationship suffered so much pain and grief."

She smiled gently. "Love's tests."

"This almost makes up for it."

"Almost?"

"I still have that record of thirty two times to beat."

"Not all in one night."

"It'd be nice, but no. No sense killing ourselves in exhaustion, now is there?"

She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him down towards her. "I'm not tired... Lover."

He smiled and kissed her deeply.

THE END

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